By Paul Reitano
We all have secrets to confess. And my interviewee this week has a big one – so I thought it’d only be fair if I joined in. Here’s one I haven’t ever told a soul; some 15 years ago I used to go to Weight Watchers meetings in Manhattan. What’s the big deal you say – a lot of people used to go to those; don’t shame. Fair enough – but back then I was in my late twenties, and could pretty much eat whatever I wanted. I went to the meetings…for the conversation. Some guys go to sports bars – others play actual sports – I liked to talk about how underrated danishes are, and this was my crowd. After some questionable gazes from the WW vets — I’d sip hot tea with a dozen or so of my hungry brothers and sisters and revel in the detail. Everyone was trying to stay on their plans — portobello mushrooms and steamed cauliflower — but there was always a breaking point. A sugar sprinkled blueberry muffin that glistened in a deli window — a lonely birthday cake slice at an office party; it was the sweet stuff that broke them. Once broken — this crowd really fell off the wagon. One chocolate croissant led to four.
Muffins were gateway drugs to eating an entire box of Honey Nut Cheerios after their families had gone to bed for the night. Whether that says more about the addictive nature of sugar or the fragility of the human condition is for you to decide. Take my friend, Andrew. Here is a strong, handsome fellow who doesn’t even really like deserts. But it was a Cinnamon Bun that sent him down a path of destruction. Thankfully…he’s lived to tell the tale.
Okay, Andrew where are you from?
Andrew: Columbus, Ohio
And what do you do for a living?
Andrew: I’m a DevOps Engineer.
Oh, okay. What’s that?
Andrew: It’s a type of Software Engineer.
Oh, okay. What’s that?
Andrew: I write and build software and the infrastructure required for deploying the software.
And that’s not all right?
Andrew: My wife Sarah is the area director for Young Life New Canaan and I’m a volunteer leader for them as well.
Why is that work important to you?
Andrew: High school is hard. Not only is high school hard, everything is vying for your attention. And really, what’s vying for your attention is also vying for your sense of worth.
So if you’re a teen and you play sports, that can define who you are?
Andrew: Yeah, it can be incredibly lonely and confusing if that’s also how you define success in life.
So, where do you come in?
Andrew: Young Life believes that every kid deserves the opportunity to hear that they’re loved — no matter what.
Amazing work. Now, I’ve been wanting to interview you for a while, did you know that?
Andrew: I didn’t.
You’re in great shape, assuming you’re a former athlete — but over the years — I’ve gotten the sense that you’re a good eater.
Andrew: I can be, yes.
I’ll give you a baseline. At the end of dinner I usually end up with three plates around me. I finish my food, then my kids’ food. I guess my question is; how many plates are around you when dinner ends?
Andrew: Just mine, but like, when we cook at home my plate is probably two times the size of what it should be.
You’re having two portions at the outset?
Andrew: Yeah, for sure.
That’s very efficient.
Andrew: A couple weeks ago, Sarah and I got two pizzas from Locali—
Sarah, your lovely and amazing wife.
Andrew: She goes upstairs to change her clothes and by the time she comes down; I’d eaten an entire pizza.
So, she goes upstairs. She just wants to like, take her watch off and boom – you kill an entire pizza.
Andrew: Yes.
That must’ve been quick.
Andrew: In my mind it felt like thirty seconds but in reality it was probably a little longer.
Crusts, too?
Andrew: Of course. Actually, Sarah used to not eat her pizza crusts and I’d have them. It was a real win-lose.
Totally — you’re getting more in but it’s like feeding rice to a pigeon. At some point there’s an expansion that’s going to happen.
Andrew: Right, right. I don’t have Celiac or anything but that much gluten will get you.
So, you’re a pizza guy — are you a sweets guy as well?
Andrew. I wasn’t really…until BreadsNBakes.
So the people know, BreadNBakes is a relatively new bakery just over the town line in Scotts Corners.
Andrew: Yes, a friend had recommended it.
Okay, so you go into BreadsNBakes for the first time. Are you alone?
Andrew: No, I’m with Sarah.
You walk up and it’s getting closer to your time to order — the pressure builds — you look behind the glass and what do you see?
Andrew: A cinnamon bun.
And do you like what you see?
Andrew: It just looks irresistible when you see it. It’s just the right size.
You get a coffee with it?
Andrew: Cold brew.
How’d the bun taste?
Andrew: It was still warm.
That’s obviously huge.
Andrew: There was just enough texture, but it was still kind of melted. It gets chewier and softer as you go in — and I don’t know how they do this – but they wrap it in this very thin type of parchment paper – and the bun gets to this point where it caramelizes and just becomes one with the paper.
Bro, are you eating the paper, too?
Andrew: You are faced with that decision. Like it’s hard to tell where the bun ends and the paper begins.
Flavor-wise, are we talking like a heavy vanilla, heavy cinnamon?
Andrew: It’s super balanced. And the icing-to-roll ratio is perfect.
Paul. So, you’re eating this thing
Andrew: Eating is being generous. Inhaling maybe.
What’s Sarah thinking while you are basically just becoming one with this roll right in front of her?
Andrew: Yeah. I mean I did my best not to be an absolute animal.
Sure — you kept your clothes on.
Andrew: I did.
So, this is the first experience. It’s fair to say it…evolved.
Andrew: There were Saturday mornings where I’d get there 20 minutes early and wait for them to open.
Are there other people in line?
Andrew: There’s a few of us.
And what’s the order? Multiple buns?
Andrew: Saturday mornings I’m getting a Cinnamon Bun, a Morning Bun, and an Almond Croissant for myself.
You live on the east side of New Canaan, that’s what, a 15 minute drive?
Andrew: It’s 14 minutes.
Do all the pastries make it home?
Andrew: There were times where everything would be gone by the time I got home. The only evidence would be the crumbs in the car.
Since you ate the paper.
Andrew: I didn’t always eat the paper.
So, eating three bespoke pastries in 14 minutes, I can tell you this is probably not unprecedented. But you’re also operating a motor vehicle. Ever run off the road mid-bite?
Andrew: No, but there’s a couple stop signs in Pound Ridge I definitely blew through.
At its peak, how often are you doing this?
Andrew: About twice a week.
Why’d you stop?
Andrew: Um, shame.
No shame in what you did, Andrew.
Andrew: Also Sarah said, “You can’t go to BreadNBakes this much.”
Probably for the best. So if a young person from New Canaan wants to reach out to you or Sarah to talk about their faith – will you take them to BreadNBakes for a Cinnamon Bun?
Andrew: Definitely.
If you’d like to reach out to Andrew’s wife Sarah to talk about Young Life, she can be reached at: sarahtdugal@gmail.com
If you’d like to reach out to Andrew to talk about Young Life, or Cinnamon Buns, or Almond Croissants, he can be reached at: Adugal.9@gmail.com
