Owner and baker of The Sweet Spot, 353 Riverdale Road, Weare, 529-6667, thesweetspotnh.com
“My grandfather was a Japanese chef in New York City. Both my parents were wonderful cooks…. I’ve always baked my whole life, since I was a little girl,” O’Dowd said. “I grew up in Long Island and I baked with my mother. I tried an office job. I didn’t like it, and then I tried a baking job and I loved it. … I worked in a couple of bakeries and coffee shops and then finally the fancy plating stuff with this pastry chef. Then, we bought this place. The previous owner [Just Like Mom’s] really wanted it to stay a bakery.
What is your ‘must-have’ in the kitchen?
Butter. I make everything from scratch. And I use real cream in all my chantillys, … My meringue is from egg whites, but I’ve separated the eggs. … But I guess butter would be the first thing.
What would you have for your last meal?
I would have linguine with white clam sauce. My father was a really good cook, a really amazing cook. And he had five daughters, and for our birthdays he would make us whatever we wanted. And every year I wanted his linguine with white clam sauce and he’d always be like ‘Jackie, that’s so easy! Like the easiest thing to make, come on!’ But I told him, ‘That’s my favorite.’
What is your favorite local place to eat?
That’s a tough question. I like Campo Enoteca [in Manchester], though. I just like the vibe in there. I like homemade pasta.
Who is a celebrity you would like to see eating something you’ve baked?
I love Joanne Chang [celebrity baker and owner of Flour and Myers+Chang in Boston]. I love her. Her recipes are great. … I also like Paul Hollywood [from The Great British Baking Show] … [H]e’s actually legit, he grew up baking bread with his father. So those are my two top bakers who are alive.
What’s your favorite thing on your menu?
Everyone here knows it: pecan sticky buns, which actually use Joanne Chang’s brioche recipe. I’ve tweaked it a little bit here, but really like the pecan sticky buns. My staff all know on the weekend when things are left over you save sticky buns for Jackie.
What’s the biggest food or baking trend that you see in New Hampshire?
Gluten-free, absolutely. … [Gluten-free baking] has advanced so much with new flour mixtures that I can bake almost anything gluten-free.
What’s your favorite thing to cook at home?
It’s not one thing. I get the Milk Street magazine and they have a lot of interesting recipes from all over the world. So I love to pick a recipe like that. For Christmas we always pick a different country and we’ll just dive into that country, something different and exotic, usually from overseas. Last week I made this Korean fried chicken from a Milk Street [recipe], and it was so good. It was so good, so satisfying. So if I’m home making something, I try and do something fun and interesting like that.
The Sweet Spot Maple Honey Granola
12 cups oats
4½ cups total raw nuts and/or seeds (chopped pecans and whole pepitas, for instance)
1½ handfuls whole almonds
3 teaspoons sea salt
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1½ cups organic coconut oil, melted
¾ cup maple syrup
¾ cup honey
3 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups total dried fruit (dark and golden raisins, dried cranberries, etc.)
Mix oats, nuts, salt and cinnamon.
Mix wet ingredients separately, stir well. Add to oat mixture and stir by hand until all items are coated.
Add to parchment-lined, lightly sprayed full sheet pans (two pans). Spread evenly. Bake in 275°F oven. Stir every 20 minutes until nicely browned, approximately 1½ hours. Allow to cool.
Place in large bowl when cooled. Add dried fruit and mix well. Leave some clumps.
Store in airtight container.
Featured Image: Kristen Chiosi. Courtesy photo.