If you want to cheat on your Atkins Diet, check out the Dahlia Bakery, Tom Douglas' den of carbo-iniquity. You can engineer your downfall with treats such as Granny Smith apple dumplings, savory olive bread, chèvre cheesecake, and even a baby version of the Dahlia's famous coconut cream pie.

How long have you been involved with the food industry?

"I've only been in this industry for three years. I started out working part-time as a hostess at the Dahlia Lounge while I still had a corporate office job. But then I got laid off from the office job, and [the Dahlia] decided to open a bakery, so the timing just worked out."

Was there any particular reason you wanted to work in the bakery?

"I was sort of at a middle ground in my life where I wasn't happy with corporate America anymore--the policy and bureaucracy of it all was no longer appealing. I liked this because it was a pet project, something where I was the lead person from the get-go. I got to do everything: working with the chefs, setting the hours, developing systems...."

And are you happier now?

"Oh, completely. This is a great industry. There's a ton of interesting people working in it, there's a great deal of flexibility, and a lot of personal-enrichment time. I totally dig it."

What are your favorite things coming out of the oven right now?

"I honestly have to say... everything. A lot of times [food] is just churned out in this mass-production, very regimented manner--and we're not like that. We're actually very mom-and-pop. Every day something looks different, tastes different, or has a personal touch about it. Even though we're getting the same chocolate cake, every baker does it their own way--even the way someone can put on a chocolate shaving makes something unique."

So since running a bakery is your full-time job, your life is pretty much oriented around carbohydrates. Have you ever gotten into any heated conversations with folks about the Atkins Diet?

"[Laughs.] No, but there are a few people here who do it."

Really?!

"Not me, though. They say if you work in a restaurant you get sick [of the food] after a while, but that hasn't happened. When I first started I ate at least one pastry every day. And we also have tastings all the time--I have to be able to tell someone what I'm selling them, after all! Whenever someone new starts, I tell them, 'You have to eat the bread!' Now, I still eat the pastries, for sure, but I try not to on a daily basis. I can have one every other day."

Interview by Hannah Levin