Tracey Scalia has worn a lot of hats since we first met at the beach in Florida when we were teens in bikinis. She went to college for respiratory therapy, worked through the medical field for a bit and traded her Mercedes for a Subaru and left the beach for Boulder. She channeled her love of cheesecake and went to pastry school. Now with two college age kids, she has turned her pastry degree into hospitality management, helping run the family business, The Burns Pub & Restaurant in Broomfield.

Back in the day when our pre-married names were so similar people thought we were sisters, we would hop out of the ocean and race up the steps to her parents’ kitchen for lunch, doctoring up ramen and boxed mac and cheese as teens will do. We were in each others’ weddings in the early 90’s and though we don’t get to see each other as often as we’d like, our shared love of the Florida Gators and our hometown beach finds us reuniting in Florida from time to time. Hoping we can savor her fabulous coffee cake together soon!

What’s your 20 minute recipe? That’s a tough one! Coffee cake, I have one you can whip together really quick. Breakfast is my favorite meal, this one is really easy and it makes the house smell really good.

What’s your favorite city? Rome because of everything it has to offer! I love Rome, I love Italy! I would move there if I could!

What’s your Favorite restaurant in your current city? I eat a ton of Mexican food. I usually go with independent and family-owned restaurants. Tres Margaritas. I go there a lot, they have great Tex-Mex. My go-to is always enchiladas. I just love enchiladas! They have a fish dish I love with mangos and avocados so it’s a little healthier.

Treasured find in the back of your fridge? I always have a few ziploc bags of homemade sauce. I learned to make Chuck’s grandmother’s sauce, Nana’s sauce. My kids love it. Her secret was making the sauce with some fatty pork shortribs in it. If I can’t find those I use Italian sausage. You get the flavor from the meat and take it out for a smooth sauce. It’s funny because after I was divorced, Chuck called me to ask how to make his own grandmother’s sauce! He said the kids said his didn’t taste right. They still say mine is better.

Who taught you to cook? Mom, my mom was a great cook! I wish I had paid more attention. Because she was European, she knew how to cook a little bit of everything. Then I went to school for pastry and learned baking. Lots of trial and error.

What’s your go-to dish for company? Typically a dessert, I would say cheesecake. People love my cheesecake! I went to culinary school because people loved my rum cake. I’ve had a lot of people ask me for the rum cake recipe and I haven’t given it out.

What’s on your cooking playlist? Oh you’re gonna laugh at this! I actually listen to country music. Modern country like Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. It’s kind of soothing. I like to concentrate so I don’t like anything too distracting.

Coffee, tea, or Kombucha? KOMBUCHA! I drink Kombucha every day, I believe in its health benefits. I love it, I think it’s great! Some are better than others. I really don’t drink much caffeine because I have terrible insomnia.

Date night--at home? or out? I’m a single empty nester. I’m married to my work! If I do date, I like to go out and I like to travel just FYI for all those bachelors reading your blog. How are you going to date in COVID anyway?

Most stained cookbook? Sort of my cookbook folder, the collection of recipes that I’ve collected and perfected. My mom gave me my first cookbook in high school The Joy of Cooking and I used it until it fell apart.

Surf? or Turf? Surf of course! Actually I hardly eat any meat outside of seafood. I run a kitchen where I have to taste meat but I almost never cook any meat. I’ve thought about making my sauce vegetarian but I don’t think it would be the same.

Indispensable kitchen tool? Rubber spatula. I can’t imagine a kitchen without one. I have every color shape and size. Even the little teeny baby ones. They are so great!

Staple childhood comfort food? Probably anything custard. That’s why I love cheesecake. My mom made everything with custard. It makes me think of her a lot when I eat custard.

Who would you most like to share a meal with? past, present or fictional? This is kind of random. Because I love Italy and Italian food so much I think It would be Pavarotti! I think he would be really fun to have a meal with. I picture him being boisterous and fun, someone who knows how to enjoy food and drink!

Ideal grilled cheese? Sourdough bread with slices of tomato, I like a really good cheddar. We do Irish cheddar here on our Shepherd’s Pie but it doesn’t really melt well.

Favorite pizza topping? Sundried tomatoes and anchovies. I love it! I love thin crust pizzas like they make in Italy.

Where would you want to take a cooking class? Oh gee I wonder! I’ve actually looked into taking a cooking class over there. There are cookie shops on every corner in Italy. My daughter is minor-ing in Italian so I’m hoping to go over and visit her if she gets to study abroad.

What’s your Counter Intelligence cooking tip? Overbeating anything with flour in it is a huge pet peeve. Don’t overbeat a cake! People don’t understand how tough a cake will be if it’s overbeaten. Also make sure you get your ingredients to room temperature when you’re baking. The butter, eggs and milk should all be close to the same temperature when you’re mixing your batter.

Three things next to your stove? My utensils, my Vitamix and my stand mixer. I use them constantly. A Vitamix is awesome! I got it in the divorce.

Favorite Sports Team? Florida Gators. I bleed orange and blue!!

Writer’s delight! Tracey’s coffee cake is perfect any time of day

You’ve gotta love a good old fashioned handwritten recipe! Use Tracey’s tip of ‘tempering’ the butter, sour cream and eggs to cool room temp before mixing. I used butter instead of shortening and pecans in the topping. One of my tasters wished it ha… — You’ve gotta love a good old fashioned handwritten recipe! Use Tracey’s tip of ‘tempering’ the butter, sour cream and eggs to cool room temp before mixing. I used butter instead of shortening and pecans in the topping. One of my tasters wished it had four times as much apple…Play around and enjoy! Happy Cooking!