January, 2004.

I'd grown disenchanted with my self-imposed lifetime of customer service. Helping people solve their computer problems over the phone had become tedious and frustrating. I am a creative person, and even though I was working with graphics and video, there was no *art* in it. Computers have always been a tool for me to use, not necessarily a way of life.

My boyfriend's best friend had just discovered that he was an amazing cook. He took a drastic turn in his life, went to Western Culinary Institute, discovered he was a genius at it, and went on to live a happy life surrounded by what he loves best. How cool, I thought. I envy him so much, to suddenly discover that you are really good at what you're passionate about. I wished I'd found what I was passionate about, so I could try it for a living.

And I thought about computers. And I thought about art. And I thought about food. And I thought about baking. And I thought about it some more. I'm good at it. On the worst day, I'd rather be in a kitchen than in a cubicle. It makes people happy, happier than fixing their computer. And before I really knew what I was doing for certain, I was looking into what it takes to get a food handler's license. It was just a passing fancy, though. I didn't want to become a cook - I liked baking, not cooking. But I was curious what cooks have to go through for training anyway, so I was looking into WCI.

Then I found out that WCI was offering a new Baking and Patisserie program.

It all went from there.

This is a collection of some of the work I did while I was learning my new trade.