Jackson Free Press

For the past four years, Jon Lansdale has been carving out his own chocolate-coated and Panini-pressed niche at Crazy Cat Bakers (4500 Interstate 55 N., Suite 173, 601-362-7448) in a corner of Highland Village.

The name Crazy Cat Bakers may seem a odd, but Lansdale, 42, a Corinth native, Millsaps College graduate and former architect says that's only because Demonic Cat Bakery wouldn't fly. The name pays homage to Roscoe and Echo, Lansdale's "possessed" cats.

How long have you been cooking?
I started cooking professionally four years ago, but I learned to cook as a hobby. I was working at Bon Ami (1220 E. Northside Drive, 601-982-0405), and I told owner and chef Jim Hudson that I was thinking of starting my own place. Soon after that, the Junior League came to Chef Hudson asking about desserts for their Mistletoe (Marketplace) premiere. He couldn't do it, but he said that he knew someone who could: me. So making (desserts for 3,000 people) for the Mistletoe premiere was my litmus test. It was a success, and that led to me opening my own bakery.

Did anyone inspire you to become a chef; if so whom?
Well, there wasn't one important person that inspired me. I started by baking what I liked. I suppose, after I was established, that I was inspired by Paula Deen's story. If you read the intro to any of her books, it explains how she built herself up from scratch and became so successful.

What made you want to focus on pastry and baking instead of the savory aspect of cooking?
It's hard to explain. I enjoy a steak, but I crave a sweet.

What's your cooking background?
I'm mostly self-taught, but that's not to say my mother was a bad cook. There was dinner on the table every night: your traditional southern meat and vegetables. I learned a lot from my grandmothers. They both cooked homey, comforting food. There was a real focus on seasonal fruits. What was in season usually became cobbler. Outside of that, I get a lot of inspiration from books and magazines, and then lots of trial and error.

What was the first recipe you mastered, in general and at your restaurant?
In general it would be fudgie pecan cake. It's between a cake and a brownie, and it's topped with chocolate ganache and toasted pecans. It was always a hit in school. In my restaurant, I'd go with the bread pudding. I hate a pudding you can cut into squares. Ours is a simple recipe, a stale baguette, a high ratio of milk and eggs, candied pecans, brandied butter sauce and no trendy toppings.

Describe your cooking style.
I'm not really sure. It's not common or pedestrian, but also not pretentious. Does that make sense? If it doesn't taste good, why bother? We didn't want it to taste good; we want it to taste great.

What sets you apart from the other bakeries in Jackson?
I'm not going to name names, but some use a mix. All of our items are made from scratch. We use only real unsalted butter, pure vanilla flavorings, White Lily flour. We share all of the ingredients. All of our supplies are on the wall. We really don't bake a lot; it's small quantity, so there's a lot of quality control.

Why White Lily Flour?
It makes for a lighter cake. And it's just a good traditional southern baking flour.

What are your favorite dishes on the menu?
The pimento cheese (sandwich) and Geraldine's chocolate cake. It's my grandmother's recipe.

How often do you change the menu? Is it seasonal or do you mostly try and keep the same anchor items?
It's mostly the same items, but we do run specials. We rotate daily and by the mood of the staff. We didn't want to be the place with the same six desserts, so we keep more than 100 different items in the rotation. We do keep a few of the same favorites on the menu, but there's always something new to find and add to the rotation.

What is the most invaluable kitchen tip you learned over the years?
Don't be afraid of failure.

What is your one must-have kitchen item?
My industrial strength blowtorch, straight from the hardware store.

If you could cook for and serve anyone in America, who would it be?
Dolly Parton. Some days we only play Dolly in here.

You have to choose your last meal: What's in it?
My grandmother's fried chicken and blueberry cobbler.

What advice you would give anyone wanting to become a chef?
It's not like it is on TV. There is lots of mopping floors and cleaning toilets when starting out.

Does the restaurant have any community-service involvement?
We donate to schools, both public and private. I've been involved in the Chefs in the City fundraiser, and
we also participate in Taste of Mississippi for Stewpot and Take a (Tasty) Bite out of Crime.

Crazy Cat Bakers Katharine Hepburn's Brownies

1 stick unsalted butter
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan.

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water. Remove bowl from heat and add sugar, eggs and vanilla, and whisk until blended. Do not use an electric mixer. Stir in walnuts

Transfer to pan, and bake for 40 minutes. Do not over bake. Cool completely or overnight before cutting.

Wrapped individually, brownies will keep in the freezer for up to two months.