Writing by Gia Miller
Photography by Justin Negard
Born to a pastry chef and executive chef who both worked in Michelin-starred restaurants before opening Ridgefield Bagels & Bakes, Logan was rolling up his sleeves and diving into large bowls of cookie batter and “nana” bread at only three years old. But his parents were still surprised when Logan’s key lime pie took home the grand prize in Pound Ridge’s annual baking contest last summer, beating out kids and adults. More recently, this 10-year-old baker was, as of our deadline, in the quarterfinals for the People’s Choice award for The Greatest Baker competition.
When we met Logan, he baked us the best madeleine cookies we’ve ever had. So, we thought he’d be the perfect kid to kick off our Connect to the Best issue.
What inspired you to start baking?
Well, it started with me helping my mom bake stuff, and then I ended up being really interested.
What do you like about baking?
You can just mix some stuff together, then BAM! You got something,
What happens if the BAM is bad?
Then you try again. That’s the thing about baking; you always gotta try again.
If we asked you to bake us something, what would you bake?
I would make you crème brûlée. Crème brûlé is simple. It looks fancy, but it’s really simple.
What is the most difficult thing you’ve baked?
It’s simple, yet very hard: muffins. A few days ago, I made blueberry muffins, and the batter ended up watery, even though it’s supposed to be chunky.
If you could invent a new dessert, what would it be?
I would probably mix chocolate and vanilla cake, so there would be a swirl in the cake. And in the middle, I would put a crème brûlée filling.
If you could bake for any celebrity, who would it be, and what would you make them?
Deadpool. I would make a Deadpool cake. It would be red velvet with some strawberry jam that would ooze out to symbolize blood.
If you could bake a cake that could talk, what would it say?
Eat me.
f you had to use a weird ingredient in your baking, what would it be?
Jalapeño peppers. I would give it to my best friend to prank him.
What would it be? A cake? A cookie? A muffin?
I would put 10 jalapeno peppers into one cookie, and he would be running around the entire school looking for something to drink.
How would you do that? Would you puree the peppers?
No. I would coat the jalapeno peppers in chocolate.
Who would you rather bake with a monkey or a cat?
Physically impossible, but I would choose a monkey because they’re more intelligent than cats. If it’s trained properly, then I’m assuming it could work.
Is there a dessert you would like to rename?
Cookie.
What would you call it?
Bacon.
Why bacon?
Because you don’t cook cookies. You bake them. Then, if I had to rename a food, I would rename bacon as cookie.
If you could have a baking superpower, what would it be?
Never have any imperfections in what I make.
If you were to give advice to somebody who had never baked before, what would you say?
Find a recipe and make it a few times. Once you feel comfortable with the recipe, then you could try adding a little something to it.
This article was published in the January/February 2025 edition of Connect to Northern Westchester.
Gia Miller is an award-winning journalist and the editor-in-chief/co-publisher of Connect to Northern Westchester. She has a magazine journalism degree (yes, that's a real thing) from the University of Georgia and has written for countless national publications, ranging from SELF to The Washington Post. Gia desperately wishes schools still taught grammar. Also, she wants everyone to know they can delete the word "that" from about 90% of their sentences, and there's no such thing as "first annual." When she's not running her media empire, Gia enjoys spending quality time with friends and family, laughing at her crazy dog and listening to a good podcast. She thanks multiple alarms, fermented grapes and her amazing husband for helping her get through each day. Her love languages are food and humor.
Justin is an award-winning designer and photographer. He was the owner and creative director at Future Boy Design, producing work for clients such as National Parks Service, Vintage Cinemas, The Tarrytown Music Hall, and others. His work has appeared in Bloomberg TV, South by Southwest (SXSW), Edible Magazine, Westchester Magazine, Refinery 29, the Art Directors Club, AIGA and more.
Justin is a two-time winner of the International Design Awards, American Photography and Latin America Fotografia. Vice News has called Justin Negard as “one of the best artists working today.”
He is the author of two books, On Design, which discusses principles and the business of design, and Bogotà which is a photographic journey through the Colombian capital.
Additionally, Justin has served as Creative Director at CityMouse Inc., an NYC-based design firm which provides accessible design for people with disabilities, and has been awarded by the City of New York, MIT Media Lab and South By Southwest.
He lives in Katonah with his wonderfully patient wife, son and daughter.
