Stephanie's+Page

And That’s The Way The Cookie Crumbles //My name is Stephanie Gaines and I am now a Junior at the University of Colorado at Boulder, majoring in Communications. I have been baking since I was in the ninth grade. Ever since that first batch of cookies, I have known that I want to peruse a career in the culinary arts. I looked at four year culinary schools as a senior in high school but decided I wasn't ready for the intense schooling a culinary institute offers quite yet. I came to CU to find a subject I am interested in and graduate from a University with a more legitimate degree than one in chocolate. Once I work for a year after college, I plan to enroll in culinary school and earn my degree in baking and pastries. I know that one day I will be able to accomplish my dream of owning my own bakery. //

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 If I could make the world a better place, I’d do it with a cookie. Yes, a gooey, warm cookie, fresh out of the oven and packed with melted chocolate morsels. A cookie has a lot more power than you think.

 I have never really known what I have wanted to do with my life. My sisters were always straight A students, careers planned out, plenty of friends and support, and overall, perfect. I never felt like I lived up to the high expectations that they set. But that all changed when I finally made my first batch of cookies. My cousin who is a baker came over to make some fun sweets with my sisters and me for Valentines Day. I got such a rush from taking the perfectly round chocolate chip cookies out of the oven after they had just turned golden brown and aligning the frosting on top to create the correct atmosphere for each individual cookie. I felt like I had finally found my nitch when I was whipping egg whites until they stood in a perfect peak for a batch of pink meringues. I knew that baking was going to make my world a little bit closer to perfect.

 Baking started to take over my life. Different deserts would appear in our kitchen based on my emotions, events, or actions that would happen each day. Whenever my mom or my sisters and I got in a fight, a crisp, sweet apple pie would be sitting on the kitchen counter within the next few hours. If I got and A on a test, a three layer carrot cake with a hint of coconut would be fully frosted and already chilling in the fridge within an hour of coming home from school. Better yet, I would bring all of my culinary creations to school the next day, giving me the opportunity to socialize with my friends as well as make connections with some of my other classmates over something we all love. Just seeing the rush of emotions and satisfactory expressions on people’s faces when they took a bite of my creamy, rich oreo filled cheesecake made me feel as though I had found my place. Baking allowed me to finally express myself as well as show me that I am just as special and talented as my sisters are.

 Baking taught me some of the toughest life lessons in the best way. Anger lead to aggressively kneading the dough of piecrust and focusing all my thoughts on the complex process of pie making after I got into fights with my family. Happiness lead to intricate frosting designs of flowers and swirls to show how excited I was about excelling in a class or finally opening my first college acceptance letter. But most importantly, baking taught me to enjoy the recipe of life with a simple chocolate chip cookie. What’s your favorite kind?