I discovered my passion for baking at a young age when I used to watch my Grandma Tillie in the kitchen. I knew she enjoyed making people happy with her cooking and that is something I aspired to do as well. As I got older she taught me all our family cookie and cake recipes and I soon became the main baker in my family. In high school I got my first taste of cake decorating while making ice cream cakes at Baskin Robbins. When it came time for college, I decided to attend Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA where I earned a Bachelors degree in Chemical Engineering.
After graduating I went to work in the petroleum industry which gave me the chance to travel the world and experience many foods and cultures I had never known before. I soon rediscovered my passion for baking and cake decorating. I would always bring back new ingredients and ideas from the places I visited and incorporate them into my cake recipes. After taking many cake decorating classes and even teaching a few myself it became quite apparent that I had found my true calling. Many years of planning later, I finally took the leap and opened my own business in 2009. As owner and principal cake designer of Around the World in 80 Cakes, I am dedicated to producing delicious and beautiful works of art that will take your taste buds on a trip they won’t soon forget.