As it tends to be for many avid bakers, it all started with my mom. She’s always been an amazing mom, but she is - if it could be possible - an even more incredible baker. As a clinical therapist she always claimed baking was her own therapy, and I would bet that since my older brother was born, she has likely spent more time in her kitchen than anywhere else. As soon as I was old enough to start learning language or communication, I was also watching magic in the kitchen. She catered many parties and meetings; her renowned cakes were ordered and paid for even before the election-day bake sale began; and she was constantly searching for the perfect recipe for sticky buns (I think she still is, actually). In short, I learned from the best.
As a young adult, it was clear I loved baking too. During college I perfected my own execution of many of my mother’s signature recipes, and enjoyed not only the process, but the end result of my friends’ happiness as well. Then, in my mid-20s, something clicked. All of a sudden I wasn’t interested in simply making delicious sugary treats, as I’d been doing for the 10 years prior - I realized I wanted to focus on making them taste great and look beautiful. It became less of a hobby and more of a passion. I had found my answer to that question, “What would you do if you won the lottery?” I would bake, all day, every day. Let me tell you some specifics of what I love (you can check out photos in the Gallery).
The Sweetery: “Bakery” implies baking, as in using the oven. “Confections” implies candy. “Pastry”, for me at least, implies traditional French desserts, usually based in a dough. I love doing it all. If it’s sweet, I will make it, whether it’s cake, doughnuts, pudding, or candy (the list goes on). Hence, “The Sweetery”.
Nutrition (what?!): Sugar is in no way, shape, or form good for you. However, there are ways to lessen the impact (think moderation, non-processed substitutions, etc.) In the end, though, sweets are an indulgence. That being said, I am focused on watching what I eat, and I like to empower others to do so as well. Also, I love the challenge of making sweets for those with specific allergies or nutritional preferences (e.g. gluten free, dairy free, both, low calorie, etc.) It always makes me very happy to do what I can so those with food limitations are able to indulge like the rest of us.
Custom: This word holds a great amount of importance for me. It’s why I’m not presently interested in becoming a pastry chef or owning a bakery. My favorite part of baking is being able to tailor what I make to people’s favorite flavors, textures, type of sweet, or color scheme. I especially love playing with new and up-and-coming flavors (e.g., Biscoff, Rumchata, etc.), and making sweets for events like baby or wedding showers, graduations, and other celebrations. But! Birthday cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, etc. still prove to be great fun, especially when I’m given favorite flavors and/or textures with which to play. The bottom line: I want to give people precisely what they want, whether they knew it beforehand or not!
Short story long, I just simply love baking. It makes me incredibly happy. The end.
