The Story

From a young age, I have had a passion for food and the experience surrounding a good meal. One of my favorite things is traveling with family and experiencing new restaurants. My fondest memories include dinner at Harry Cipriani with my grandparents in New York and Zahav with parents and sister in Philadelphia. I believe that a good meal brings people together, and I have seen that in my own home many times. My parents are always looking for their next hosting opportunity and they have shown me the love that goes into every meal. 

 

I have a love for cookbooks and the stories that surround each recipe. There are many on the bookshelves in our kitchen at home. I find the design, layout and functionality of a cookbook to be more interesting than any novel. Everything in a cookbook has a useful purpose, and that purpose is to make something delicious. As I learned from producing Bake With Love, there is a lot that goes into the function of a cookbook. All aspects of the design and layout must be purposeful and useful. My favorite chef, Ina Garten, has inspired me in some of the concepts within this book. In Ina’s Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks, she not only focuses on the recipe, but the story surrounding them.

 

I am passionate about helping my community. My family has been actively involved in helping others in our community in leadership roles and by directly pitching in. I have enjoyed my membership in a community service program called Centre PACT. Through this organization, I have been able to learn about philanthropy with other local high school students. This initiative has taught me many important lessons such as fundraising, seeking out those most vulnerable, and about the existence of a plethora of organizations looking to assist those in need. Working in Centre PACT has further focused me in efforts to help my community. A desire to help my community through food was at the heart of Bake with Love.

 

I began writing this cookbook in the spring of 2020 and finished it over the winter. Currently, I am a junior at State College Area High School. For the past three years, I have participated in my school’s DECA club, a business organization based around competition in the areas of marketing, finance, hospitality, entrepreneurship and business management. My partner and I have competed in the marketing competition every year together, placing first twice and second once at three different regional competitions. We are in the running for the State Championship this year. In addition to DECA, I compete on my school's indoor track and lacrosse teams. In the future, I plan to pursue a career in the business field.