Art in Kitchens

I’ve always loved sweets and baked goods. While my family does not know how to bake, my fascination with the amazing taste of cakes and pastries inspired my curiosity about baking. Microwaving a mix of flour, sugar, and water, my baking journey started with a plate of impenetrable “cookies” in grade 4. After getting tools and recipes, I baked different desserts and slowly realized that this unrestricted learning gave me a great feeling of accomplishment. Starting with using the bread machines to mix simple ingredients to make the most basic bread to baking tarts, pies, cakes, cookies, and more complicated bread by hand, my baking ability increased over time. The kitchen became my sanctuary and new recipes often kept my Saturdays busy. My only “professional” experience learning cooking and baking was my grade ten’s off-time table class where I learned how to collaborate in the kitchen and experimented with recipes from various countries. Every Tuesday afternoon we would cook a full course meal of a particular country we are learning about in our groups of four. There I learned a little bit about the history and origin of particular dishes that I could probably recall vaguely only when someone talks about them. Because of my love of baking, I also tried cooking. I mainly made various forms of pasta. On special holidays when I have an entire afternoon open, I would take over the dinner and make pizza or pasta for my family. However, my passion for cooking never came close to baking and is quite limited to special occasions.