I grew up in Shoreline, Washington, a suburban area north of Seattle and graduated from Shorewood High School. It was sometime during my schooling at Shorewood that I realized my love for all things sweet. I had taken art elective classes every year since middle school, and after flowing from integrated arts to orchestra and to drawing and painting, I finally landed myself in a Culinary Arts class.

 

During my time in the drawing and painting classes sophomore year, I found that I didn’t have much joy in making art in 2D form. I could make some decent paintings, but it was frustrating on how limiting that was for me. Outside of school, I found out there were cake-decorating classes in the local Joann Fabrics store and knew I had to get in. I’ve always loved baking sweets and making sure they looked extra nice, but I never really had a chance to truly decorate cakes before. I begged my mom to let me get in a class at the store, and soon I was in the Buttercream Basics class with my first cake-decorating tool kit.

 

The class was phenomenal. I never knew how fun putting buttercream to cakes and cupcakes were. Everything looked beautiful and it was not as stressful as drawing and painting was. I knew it was for me. Soon, I started baking new desserts I had never tried before and even began a photo series on my Instagram (@cherrycindyy) called “Sweets Monday” where I post a picture of what I made and give a cheery explanation on what it is. I love learning about food and also letting others know about it.

 

By the end of the year, I had asked the school Culinary Arts instructor to be put in her class, and soon, I was head over heels in love with all things food. My two years of experience in culinary classes included exposure to both savory and sweet foods, but of course, everyone knew me to be the first to volunteer for any dessert making. However, they also entrusted me to take care of the hot line. I was voted by the class to be the BOH leader in one of our four Chef Dinners, where we prepare a meal for customers with the aid of a local executive chef. I worked hand in hand with the chef for the prep days in advance of the night, and during the Chef Dinner itself. The class was close, being the only group in the school with the experience we had, and was like a family throughout the year.

 

In my senior year, not only was I in the Culinary Arts class, I got the chance to be a teacher’s assistant (TA) for my culinary instructor. I had twice the time in the kitchen that any other student had. My experiences included many caterings, the Chef Dinners, box lunches, and menu planning and execution in the class. My culinary instructor, along with her teaching assistant, are both alumni of the Culinary Institute of America and introduced me to the CIA, the best culinary school in the world. I had a great admiration for them; both were once restaurant owners and are still culinary instructors. They are two of the most amazing culinarians and people I have ever met, and I knew I had to follow their path. Before long, I had landed myself acceptance into the school and am currently working towards an Associate’s degree in Baking and Pastry Arts.