Oh my true love, baking. From a young age of 7, I can recall being in my aunt’s kitchen with my cousin making boxed cake mix. My favorite part was always licking the whisk. Even though I knew it was very unhealthy from various times both my mother and aunt had told me, I still did it. It didn’t matter to me. The yumminess and happiness licking the whisk brought me compared to nothing else.
I would be that elementary school kid who would prefer to watch the Food Network over Disney or Cartoon Network sometimes. My favorite computer games were food related, and of course, I had Cooking Mama on my Nintendo DS and Wii. My young mind loved the idea of having a job where you baked all day. It was like the wildest dream come true. When I was in 4th grade I had a close family friend in 8th grade who told me when she got to high school she would be going to a part-time high school where she would cook all day. That’s when I knew I had to work hard throughout middle school and get good grades to get in this so-called Magnet school.
My middle school years consisted of baking a lot from box mixes & pre-made doughs. By the time 8th grade came, I was ready to apply for Sollers Point Technical High School. I was terrified of getting denied but I was ready to give it my all. I went into the testing room and shaped a ball of dough into a French baguette. Four months later I received the letter of approval and I was in disbelief and was so excited!!!!
My journey throughout Sollers Point Tech went from 9th-11th grade. I attended Kenwood half day and Sollers half day. I majored in Baking and Pastry and had the honor of being taught by Chef Casiano. It was such a new baking experience for me. EVERYTHING WAS MADE FROM SCRATCH. I learned how to properly read a recipe, yield the right amount, and all sorts of mixing methods. Sollers was definitely my favorite part of high school. I got the opportunity to get on a bus, attend another school, and bake half of the day? It was great! But chef just didn’t teach us about baking. She taught us about cleanliness, friendship, and tricks about maneuvering in the kitchen. I earned my ServSafe certificate my 11th grade year.
You may be wondering, why didn’t Vivian major in baking and pastry in college? And that has a simple explanation. My first job was at a bakery called Yia Yia’s. It was the end of 10th grade year when I started working there. I met bakers, decorators, and the business owners of the bakery. Working there I realized I did not want to dedicate my life to it. I realized that bakery jobs come with a lot of labor work. I met decorators who shared the same love I had for the art of baking who honestly, seemed to just not be happy. I didn’t want that. That’s not the mindset I wanted for my love. My senior year of high school I knew I wanted to work in some sort of laboratory behind the scenes. To this day I still enjoy baking and watching baking shows, it’s my hobby. 
