“Cooking’s an art; your baking’s just science,” she says, dismissively. “I create through improvisation, substitution, by occasionally stirring or seasoning to taste.”

“You decide as you go along. My work is precise and demanding. One misstep and the whole thing is lost.”

“Soup?” she offers.

“With some bread,” I insist.

James Menges is a writer and photographer. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.