A POLAR BEAR IN THE KITCHEN

One baker’s journey through grief, grit, and ganache—learning that the real magic isn’t in the recipes, but in the joy of sharing.

Ingredients – My Early Years

Growing up in North Pole, Alaska, was a unique experience: tiny town, lots of kitschy Christmas-themed stuff everywhere, and a large piece of land with a giant garden that grew most of what my family ate. 🎄🌱

My fondest memories were made on my tiptoes in the kitchen watching my mom and grandma craft beautiful and delicious food. 🍞💛 It’s where my love for home baking—and eventually professional pastry—was born. These memories became my anchor after our family fractured—especially after losing my mom just three weeks before I turned 18.

Method – The Winding Road

What followed was a decade of living on my own, working dead-end jobs, and bouncing between California and Alaska. Through it all, my kitchen remained my refuge—the only place I felt truly at home. 🏡

Baking brought my mother’s memory to life. It grounded me. Whether I was celebrating a birthday, welcoming new friends, or making a cold new kitchen feel like home, I returned again and again to flour, butter, sugar—and the comfort of home baking. 🧈🎂

In 2010, I moved to Colorado, and by 2013, I had met my now husband and we had bought our first home. Life felt like it was settling. In 2014, I became a mom—something that changed everything about how I experienced the world, and the kitchen.

But even with this new chapter, life wasn’t linear. In 2017, I left university where I had been studying psychology, lost my father, and underwent gastric bypass surgery after a lifelong struggle with obesity. That year marked a turning point—one that made me reassess what I truly wanted to pursue.

A year later, I enrolled in pastry school. It felt like coming home. I had always loved baking, but now I was finally learning the why behind the how. It wasn’t just about recipes anymore—it was about understanding, intention, and craft.

After graduating, I had the honor of working in some of Colorado’s most beloved kitchens: Stanley Hotel, Dushanbe Teahouse, Huckleberry, and Front Range Catering. Each experience added a layer to my skills and deepened my love for the connection baking creates.

In 2020, like many parents, I stepped out of the professional kitchen and into full-time mom life when the pandemic hit. Then, in December 2021, the Marshall Fire turned our world upside down. Smoke damage rendered our home—and almost everything in it—hazardous.

And yet, through the ashes—literally—came something unexpected: community. People showed up with open hearts. Friends, neighbors, strangers. I returned to my kitchen—not just to heal, but to help. I baked birthday cakes for kids who lost their homes. I brought cookies to community cleanups. I found purpose in the flour again.

Through every season—grief, growth, motherhood, fire—the kitchen has remained my safe place, my anchor, and my way of creating meaning in the world.

Finishing Touches – Why I Do This

I’ve come to realize that what I truly love isn’t just baking—it’s what baking represents. Connection. Celebration. Creativity. Resilience. It’s not about the cookie—it’s about the love baked into it, and the memory that’s shared around it.

That’s why I started Sweet Skills Workshops—to help home bakers find that same sense of empowerment and joy in their own kitchens. I want to teach the pastry techniques and foundational baking skills I wish I’d had when I was trying to figure it all out. Not just so you can make a great cake (though you will)—but so you can bake with confidence, get creative, and feel proud of what you make.

For me, baking will always be about love. And now, I get to share that love by teaching others how to turn their own kitchens into places of joy, connection, and confidence.

You bring the heart, I’ll bring the skills. Let’s bake like we mean it.

❤️Chef Katie

💌 You’ll also get a free gift:
The Usual Suspects – Common High Altitude Baking Problems & How to Tweak for Success!

No spam. No fluff (unless we're describing buttercream). Just the good stuff to help you bake with confidence and creativity, right from your own kitchen. 🍪

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If you’ve made it this far, thank you. 💛
Baking has been my anchor, my creative outlet, and my way of making meaning in the world. Now, I’d love to help you find joy and confidence in your own kitchen, too.

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