When people ask me how I got into baking I say “I have social anxiety”. It always gets a laugh, but it’s true! I always find it hard to break the ice with new people, so when I moved to a new town where everyone was “new people”, I started bringing baked goods everywhere I went. Because first impressions are important and cookies are a great first impression. It worked out great, so I started to really look forward to opportunities to bake and I got more and more creative and intricate with the recipes.
I just love that part at an event where The Dessert comes out and everyone gathers together to eat and make yummy noises and smile. It’s like that little piece of cake is the exact medicine they needed for everything wrong in their lives, if only for that moment. I wanted that moment to be my career. So I left my cushy desk job and to sling plates on the pastry line at a Michigan Avenue restaurant. Over 5 years later and I have worked with French pastries, pies, Turkish pastries, doughnuts, breads, cakes, and bagels! Now I want to share my baking with the rest of the world, so I launched Crumb What May (officially) in 2021. I couldn’t be happier!