Some of my earliest memories involve baking Christmas cookies every year with my Aunt Ruth. I loved those bakes! I continued to bake and I was so honored that people were enjoying what I was making and it gave them a piece of joy for the day. I took a more formal path through college, including the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management to land a career in Marketing. Meanwhile, I was still baking at home, bringing treats to work, and devouring all of the PBS cooking shows. One day, I had a conversation with a co-worker who was talking about new golf equipment. I had been thinking about upgrading my mixer and he said you should never skimp on your hobbies. Of course, I listened to him and immediately registered for culinary school! The Art Institute of Minnesota was such a great experience for me. I thrived in class and ate up every bit of food and knowledge that was thrown my way. I completed a full culinary program knowing that I wanted to be in baking/pastry and from there, it was about finding the right externship. Resumes went out and I landed at Turtle Bread Company in South Minneapolis. Solveig Tofte of Sun Street Breads was the lead baker, and I could not have asked for a better first mentor. Eventually, I moved onto Bacio in Minnetonka as their Pastry Chef. I worked alongside Paul Connors, executive pastry chef and mentor, and together we helped open Good Day Cafe in Golden Valley. It was an incredible experience to build all of the recipes from scratch and also make some amazing sticky buns! I landed at Lucia’s in Minneapolis next and this…this was my dream job! I was immersed in the local and seasonal food movement, which challenged and allowed me to express my creativity. Lucia taught me how to make their croissants and I have loved creating those layers ever since. With the weekly and monthly changing menus I became a regular at the cookbook section of my library. I usually left with a stack of books almost too large to carry. I also continued to expand my own cookbook library at home. I left Lucia’s with a heavy heart. I knew I needed to start something on my own while still working as a baker. Which brings me to the now… I was baking and making desserts at Augustine’s in Saint Paul. They recently closed and I so miss making croissants every day. I learned so much in my time there and it gave me the time to start Earthtani CSB, a bakery for my community. I get to bring Simple, Seasonal and Sweet into your lives and a smile to your day.