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My love for baking began when I was a small child. My Mom and I would bake various kinds of cookies from Martha Stewart's holiday cookbooks, which I looked forward to every year. I always baked for fundraisers, Girl Scouts, and family events, but didn't realize I wanted to do it professionally until after going to college. A severe illness in my first year at university forced me to move back home under a medical drop-out from school for six months. During that time, I binge-watched baking shows, and realized I wanted to go to Culinary School. Once I was well enough to go back to school, I decided on Grossmont College in San Diego, and haven't looked back. I trained under Chef James Foran at Grossmont, who is a fantastic teacher with many accolades of his own. I am so grateful for his dedication and passion to not only pastry, but teaching, as he instilled in me a passion for plated desserts, confections, and the art of pastry that I still have. Chef Foran also presented me the opportunity of my first job in a kitchen at The Lodge At Torrey Pines in La Jolla.Working at The Lodge At Torrey Pines would forever change my life and the way I view food. I did not know it at the time, but I would be walking into a kitchen with not only one of the best Chefs in San Diego, but one of the most talented Chefs in the country. I was a part of a tight-knit pastry team under the direction of Pastry Chef Jennifer Costa. I started as a pastry line plater for the fine dining restaurant AR Valentien, and quickly moved my way up by being trained in all shifts and tasks. The Lodge at Torrey Pines, more specifically ARV is an amazing place to learn, as you have access to the freshest, local, organic produce, where the menu can change daily. Local farmers would deliver produce directly to the kitchen, and creativity was not only encouraged, but expected. Every item is made in house at ARV, down to the mayo, and our cakes were baked fresh daily. I also had the unique opportunity of working in a kitchen dominated by female savory chefs, which is very uncommon. After leaving The Lodge for more experience, I moved on to what is now the Fairmont Grand Del Mar, and have been at that hotel for five years. I have worked with 3 different Pastry Chefs, the most recent being Executive Chef Jordan Snider. I have learned so much in the past five years, and have refined my craft under the direction of Chef Snider. I have had many of my own desserts put on the menu in the casual fine dining restaurant, Amaya, as well as had many of my own recipes utilized for various outlets. I also play a huge roll in the success of our kitchen. I have been in charge of restaurant production at one point, train many new employees, run all of the banquet functions at night (up to 600 guests), produce a huge percentage of the dessert production for all outlets including entremets, ice creams/sorbets, chocolates, candies, plated desserts, buffet items, etc, and help with chocolate work and showpieces. I also help with scheduling and ordering when my Chef is away. I also have a huge passion for nutrition and try to integrate that into my style. I am the go-to person for alternative diet desserts, and have created recipes for such items. I am currently in school studying holistic nutrition and herbalism, and also have my own blog dedicated to that lifestyle. I have a newfound passion for food writing and photography, and hope to see my culinary career evolve in the future.