Who  Maria del Mar Sacasa, food stylist, recipe developer & and writer 

Where  Upper West Side, New York City

Time 12 pm

What's a typical lunch for you? Typical lunches are nonexistant—at shoots, it's delivery or catering. On the run, I subsist on an extra-large bag of peanut M&Ms. If developing recipes—for my blog and namely for my Let them Eat Cake and Dulces columns on Serious Eats—I'll eat cake batter, melted chocolate, whipped cream, etc. and ultimately, the finished dessert after I've photographed it. However, there often are civilized lunches for which I even abandon the kitchen counter and sit down. On these occasions I mostly "MacGyver" leftovers, which is how today's lovely sandwich came to be. For dinner last night, I made garlicky, smoked paprika pork tenderloin with brown sugar-roasted butternut squash and apples spiked with Aleppo pepper and lemon zest. Today, the velvety squash and tart, fleshy apples were tucked between pieces of crusty, olive oil-drizzled bread and layered with baby arugula, butter, and pungent Stilton. 

What's your dream/ideal lunch? Something traditional from home {Nicaragua}, like grilled churrasco, rice, beans, and fried sweet plantains with cheese…made by my mom!

Dessert with lunch?  Yes, there's always room! I usually have whatever I've been baking for my columns— otherwise cookies or pieces of bittersweet chocolate with dried fruit and Maldon salt. 

Thanks Maria!
— Joanna

{photo of lunch by Maria, photo of Maria by her husband Octavio Sacasa}