My first love... Baking
The smell of an apple pie in the oven.
This is one of my early memories with baking. The dough and the filling were no doubt store bought by my mother. When it was cooled enough to eat all I can remember is feeling the warmth and affection of my mother in that pie. This is where I first learned that transferring love and joy through food was real. And I was absolutely spellbound to it’s call.
Of course, at first, I had no idea what I was doing! I didn’t understand that there was a science to baking. I would try something and it would flop. I’d try again... it would flop. I just kept working at it until something worked. I started with cupcakes. I was the cupcake queen at age 16. If there was an event I was taking cupcakes. All beautifully and naturally decorated with fruits and edible flowers. I hated the idea of using food coloring and so I learned how to use natural fruits and even vegetables to get the right color of frosting or cake. My only problem was, and still is, that I never wrote down my recipes. There were countless times when I’d bake something and know that it could never be created again.
Later I became obsessed with specialty baking. Vegan and gluten free baking challenged me in the best way. I just kept learning. You don’t need an egg to make a cake. You don’t have to have a high gluten flour for a rise. And don’t get me wrong! Gluten + Me = ❤️ But it’s not absolutely necessary for a rise.
When I was 17 I started planning on opening a bakery. I knew what I wanted. I wanted high quality products, efficient work, and a staff that was loved and treated well. It was and still is very important to me that every person in the kitchen has a voice and has my kitchen to use for their creativity. I want people who haven’t or have went to school. I learned at a young age that to be good at something and to be passionate about it you don’t need years of student loan debt behind you. Yeah, it can be helpful to have some schooling. But it’s not something I care about. I care about your passion. I started out passionate and that will never leave me. It’s what I want around me because passion is love and what I do now and what my team will do in the near future is consistently transfer that love and warmth into delicious food, while celebrating each other all the way! My love for baking, though, quickly transitioned into a new found love for cooking. And later I realized that it was more than just the act of cooking it was serving. A few years later the idea of a bakery wasn’t enough. I wanted a cafe AND a food truck. So I started planning for those things. It isn’t time for the opening of those two quite yet. Very soon though! I’m very lucky to have had the means and the support around me to be able to be doing what I’m doing now. I love this chapter in my story. I’m creating on what looks like a small level but it’s much larger than what you might be able to see. I get to reach peoples hearts in a personal and spiritual way. I’ve always believed that food feeds more than the body. It feeds the mind, soul, and spirit as well. Although my first love was baking my true love will always be service. Because truly that is what we all do as cooks or chefs or bakers or whatever... we are all in service. We hold a very delicate and beautiful talent to be able to share our passion with people just by serving them. So next time you’re in a restaurant or a bakery or a cafe remember to recognize the passion behind the kitchen doors.
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