Lyndsy McDonald, the head pastry chef of The Ritz-Carlton, Sarasota, is crazy for Halloween. Last year, she channeled this enthusiasm into macabre works of pastry art—such as a witch and goblin wedding cake with a bubbling cauldron and bloodied heart—that earned her first place on the Food Network’s Halloween Baking Championship. This year, McDonald is at it again. Her latest Halloween work of art is a creepy head made of white chocolate and Rice Krispies. Ritz visitors and guests can see it in Jack Dusty restaurant. “Halloween is our favorite,” says McDonald. “I work in the world of festive and pretty, but I don’t get to do gory as often as I want to. When I do, I go off the deep end, and it’s so much fun.”