Before I was a Pastry Chef, I was a Social worker

On September 25th, 2000 I started my first day as a Social Worker for Cuyahoga County Department of Children and Family Services in Cleveland, Ohio. I had graduated from Kent State University in 2000 after an extra year of school due to the fact that I struggled with my grades and was not diagnosed with ADD until my 3rd year of College. I went to Kent State University to be a teacher, and because of my poor GPA, I was kicked out of school my 2nd semester of my 2nd year and had to talk my way back in and unfortunately, was not able to continue in education.

Baking for me has always been a hobby, but also allowed me to focus on something and see results fairly quickly. I had never been taught how to bake and would experiment a little bit with cookies, brownies and cheesecakes, but never even tried to make a pie, work with yeast before I attended Pastry school at the age of 29.

I knew social work was not going to be a career for me, but I liked the versatility of not having to sit at a desk all day, I really enjoyed working with the kids (although it was extremely sad and overwhelming) and I loved that every day was different. My weakness was definitely documentation, paperwork for me was a challenge and not knowing if I was truly helping these families was tough.

I managed a case load of about 20-30 kids at a time and was responsible for making sure the kids basic needs were being met and implementing services into the home. I visited the kids every month at school, at home, and anywhere that was safe to talk to them. If the kids were not safe, I was responsible for removing the children from the homes if the situation could not be resolved, had to testify in court, place the kids in foster care, and take on a parental role at times depending on what the kids needed. It was A LOT! I have no regrets for my social work career and it seems like a lifetime ago. It opened my eyes to a world I never would have known, showed me compassion and empathy and also took a toll on me mentally and physically.

Baking has always been my stress release, and I had baked A LOT as a Social Worker. I also baked a lot for family and friends since I have a large family and I only eat desserts, so I always brought it with me:)

I didn’t even consider going to Pastry School until I was 28 and I went to Johnson & Wales when I was 29. It was a huge change and the biggest leap I had ever taken. I had a house that I had purchased and I sold It and moved to North Carolina knowing no one except one of my dad’s friends. My dad and I went one weekend in April 2006 to meet up with his friend and we looked at apartments that weekend and I picked one. I moved that August to Charlotte, North Carolina and began my professional career as a Pastry Chef.

I also never planned on being an Entrepreneur and here I am in year 5 of my business. It is a huge struggle in soo many ways. I did not come this far to only come this far. The pandemic has definitely thrown me a curve ball as a business owner and as always, baking is my stress release and my passion.

I often have to remind myself how far I have come and know that there are good things coming….one day at a time.

Have you ever made a career switch?? Have you ever thought about doing something different or turning a hobby into a career??? let me know in the comments below or feel free to reach out to me directly.