Vallery Lomas, winner of the 3rd season of The Great American Baking Show, is not only a phenomenal baker, but is also a food writer, blogger, photographer, soon-to-be cookbook author, and former lawyer.

She started backing and blogging years ago while she was in law school and while she practiced law, which she did full-time for 8 years.

She was cast on the 3rd Season of the Great American Baking Show, an ABC spin-off of the hugely popular Great British Baking Show. Vallery prepared for, competed on, and won her season, but we never actually got to see it on television. The show premiered on December 7th, 2017 and was pulled off the air shortly thereafter following sexual misconduct allegations against ones of the judges.

Julia sat down with Vallery in her apartment in Harlem and talked about her preparation for the show, how she navigated this unexpected turn of events, and what her freelance career looks like now.

There are also answers to listeners' questions and a shoutout to Sydnie L. Mosely Dances.

Some follow-up links:

• For more about Vallery, head here.
• For the interview Mayukh Sen did with Vallery for Munchies, head here.
• The books Julia mentioned: Claudia Fleming's The Last Course, Toni Tipton-Martin's The Jemima Code, Rochelle Udell's How to Eat An Artichoke
  The bookstores: Omnivore Books and Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks