I recently spent a day with David Lebovitz, shooting a segment for Bizarre Foods: Paris. After cooking next to Lebovitz, I can safely say this guy is phenomenal at his craft. Hear what he had to say about his new book, The Perfect Scoop, the chocolate tours he leads throughout Europe, and what's the most fabulous thing about relocating to Paris.

AZ.com: What got you interested in desserts as a food pro and how did you wind up at Chez Panisse?

David Lebovitz: Well, that can take a whole book to tell. Hmmm…that gives me an idea… Back in the 80's, I didn't know what to do with my life and I was bumming around Europe. In Turkey, I traveled with a woman who lived in San Francisco and went to visit her, then decided to stay.

I'd been reading a copy of the Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook and agreed with 99% of what was in there; thoughts about food, eating, living, and growing. It just really struck me as the place to be. So I went in to apply for a job.

After working in the very hectic café for a couple of years, I got tired of stealing cookies from the pastry department and decided I should learn how to make them myself.

AZ.com: Your book, The Perfect Scoop, is all about ice creams, sorbets and other frozen confections. Is it hard to convince home cooks that it is really feasible to make their own ice creams at home? What basic tools and ingredients do you need?

DL: When I was teach classes, people kept asking me questions about making ice cream, and one day I asked for a show of hands, "How many people own ice cream makers?", and over half the hands in the room shot up. Then I looked at Amazon and an ice cream maker was the #2 most popular kitchen appliance, which really surprised me. I thought all those people might appreciate some recipes! (And boy, did they. The book's really been embraced.)

I have a blast making ice cream, and all the salty nuts and gooey stuff that gets swirled in and drizzled on top, and I loved…absolutely loved, coming up with all the recipes.

AZ.com: After spending many years working at Alice Waters' world-famous restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, you now call Paris home. What made you fall in love with that city? What is the best thing about living there?

DL: Men can pee anywhere.

AZ.com: For readers who are headed to Paris this year, what are your five must-see spots for sweet freaks?

DL: Jean-Charles Rochoux, Michel Chaudun and Patrick Roger for chocolate, Denise Acabo at A l'Etoile d'Or for Henri Le Roux's amazing salted butter caramels, and the Grand Marnier Soufflé at Chez Dumonet which defies gravity.

AZ.com: Name your five favorite restaurants in Paris.

DL: I don't go out as much as people might suspect, since I really enjoy shopping the markets--like I did with Andrew--and cooking at home, so I eat a lot of ethnic food. Some places I enjoy are Breizh Café for buckwheat crêpes, Le Bambou for Bo Bun (cold Vietnamese noodles with grilled pork and spring rolls), L'Entrecôte for steak and French fries, Chez Omar for roasted lamb and couscous, and I recently had an extraordinary (French) meal at L'Amboise, although main courses cost 120 euros ($185)--so it's not somewhere I can eat at very often! Unless I get invited, of course. Maybe when Andrew comes back, he'll take me there. (Although it's a different kind of 'extreme' eating...)

AZ.com: Describe your perfect dessert.

DL: A marshmallow dipped in very dark chocolate.

AZ.com: What are the top 3 trends/ingredients/techniques in Paris that would be automatic home runs in the States?

DL: I'd say the US is a bit ahead of the French in cooking. There's such a great spirit of experimentation and a drive towards flavor that's kinda gone astray in France. So many American cooks are looking for fresher, more locally-raised ingredients, which always taste better. I know of 3 or 4 people that just started making bean-to-bar chocolate in the past few years back in the states, too, which is really exciting to me.

Oops, I think I just rephrased the questions and turned it around to say what trends/ingredients/techniques in the states would be successful in Paris!

AZ.com: What’s in your refrigerator?

DL: Right now there's chestnut jam, comté cheese, rennet (that I got from the pharmacy to make cottage cheese), as always, lots of eggs (for making ice cream), two bottles of very decent Champagne, a bottle of organic rosé, and a huge batch of kimchi.

I know, I know. I live in Paris and should have duck confit stashed away in there instead, but I love Korean food. I don't care if it makes my cheese and butter and milk taste like fermented cabbage.

Maybe I'll move to Seoul next…

David Lebovitz worked is the author of four cookbooks, including his latest, The Perfect Scoop, filled with recipes for ice cream and it's accompaniments. He worked at Chez Panisse for 13 years in the pastry department and now lives in Paris, where he writes a food and travel blog (www.davidlebovitz.com). He's currently working on a book about Paris, due for publication in May 2009.