"The owner-pâtissière of Carlota worked at Rosetta in Mexico City for years, and has brought their style of airy conchas (vanilla or chocolate) and perfectly round guava cheese roulés to her small bakeshop on the edge of Mile End. Keen to share Mexican traditions, holiday season at Carlota starts in October, when they make sugary Pan de Muerto and Oaxacan-style pan de yema, a traditional brioche with a tiny doll’s face baked inside, for the Dia De Los Muertos. If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to make these kinds of pastries, Carlota offers baking workshops throughout the year for conchas, pan de muerto, and rosca de reyes, the orange-perfumed Three Kings Bread." - ivy lerner frank