Turning my hobby into a career and becoming the baker that I am today.

I have baked since as long as I can remember, but realistically, probably when I was around 12 or 13ish. I remember my dad bought me my first sheet pan and it was an air bake pan. I didn’t appreciate it then, but I will never forget it. I held pampered chef parties over 20 years ago and stocked up on pretty much every pan, spatula, batter bowl and spoon that I could find.

Baking was a hobby, I have the biggest sweet tooth and live off of carbs and desserts. I started out baking for my family since I have a large family. My Mom is one of 15 kids, my dad is 1 of 4 kids, I am the 2nd oldest of 4 kids and I have 6 nieces and nephews. I have 100’s of cousins and aunts and uncles and when we get together it is pretty much bring something to share.

I would only bake in my comfort zone, cookie and brownies, and maybe some mini cheesecakes once in awhile. I was intimidated to try anything that seemed challenging. I had no one around me that was a trained Chef so I never asked for help. My mom would bake sometimes with us, but did not share the same sweet tooth that I still have at the age of 43.

When I had the opportunity to go to Pastry School at the age of 29, I made my first ever Pie and pretty much first ever everything besides cookies, brownies, bars, cheesecakes and cupcakes. I had a teacher in Pastry School that told me on the 3rd day of school, that I needed to find something else to do for a career. Who does that?? I mean how awful, but this lady was not going to stop me. I did not leave a career as a Social Worker after 6 years, move out of state knowing only my dad’s FBI friend, and enroll in college for the 2nd time as an almost 30 year old to be told, this is not for you.

I kept on going and focused on the end result, the sweets, and the sweet reward of learning everything I could about desserts. I struggled a bit, but I found my way eventually and after 1 year, I earned my Associates degree in Baking and Pastry Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte.

I had developed some skills, but had no idea what type of job I would end up with. I spent the next decade learning from private resorts and Chefs all over the United States. Some jobs were great and some were awful. Some jobs I spent 14 hour days baking in a kitchen, some jobs I was up at 2am and home at 6pm and going back the next morning, some jobs I loved and learned so much. I made everything from sauces, to plated desserts, breads, dinner rolls, danish, gelato, ice cream, sorbet, cakes, cookies, cinnamon rolls, how to write menus, how to have fun in a kitchen and how to work extremely hard in a kitchen. Sometimes you could have fun and work hard, and sometimes the hard work took a toll physically and mentally.

Every place that I worked at taught me something new about myself, my skills, and what direction I would be going next. I have soaked in as much as I could and tried to apply it at every job.

After burning out of the industry after 10 years, I had to rediscover my passion, my purpose and direction. The one thing that remained constant was my love of baking and eating desserts (Thank goodness). Baking for me is calming, therapeutic and dessert is pretty much the only thing I eat, so I am continuing on this path for as long as I possibly can. I LOVE it.

I moved pretty much every 6 months for about 4 1/2 years before I moved back home to Cleveland at the end of 2010. I have been home for 10 years and am about to celebrate my 3rd Anniversary as a business owner next month.

At the end of the day, every step that I have taken for the last 14 years has helped my build my knowledge, my confidence and enhance my love of baking even more than I ever could have imagined. This is where I am supposed to be. I work extremely hard and success has not been easy, but it is worth it.

Keep your head up, your hobby just may be a step in the right direction to find your dream job.

If I can do it, you can too!

xoxo

Annie