Grilled: NYC Food & Wine Festival kickoff

Katie Lee Joel

What’s the best strategy for saving room for dessert?
Oh god, I’m the wrong person to ask. I don’t have a strategy for that. By the time I get to dessert, my pants are always too tight. My advice is this: Just undo your top button and go for it. You know, an elastic waistband at a Thanksgiving dinner is always a plus.

Name a chocolately dessert that is worth busting at the seams for...
I do this three-layer trifle with chocolate cake, chocolate pudding, cherries and whipped cream. It’s absolutely sinful.