Thomas’s dream to open a boulangerie in Yountville a little shop like the kind he loved so much in Paris as a young cook, where he could offer croissants, pains au raisins, and baguettes in the morning and cookies, tarts, and cakes in the afternoon was realized in July 2003.

Nine years later, he now owns five such bakeries. In Bouchon Bakery, Thomas and Sebastien, his pastry chef, elevate not just the French classics, but also those touchstone sweets from childhood caramel apples, toffee, doughnuts, ‘clairs, pecan sandies, and more.

With over 150 recipes, it’s all here: from breakfast pastries like muffins and croissants to macarons and mille-feuilles; from cakes and confections to pies and tarts and breads of all kinds.

Plus fascinating insight into Thomas’s creative process and the centrality of certain foods and experiences in his and Sebastien’s baking. Altogether it’s a teeming and delicious collection wherein the authors advance the baker’s craft while having a hell of a good time. Readers will too.