When you first entered the pastry program at The International Culinary Center, what was your background in cooking?
I knew my way around a home kitchen—how to use a mixer and all that—but I’d never set foot inside a professional kitchen. My only restaurant experience was waiting tables in college.

So enrolling at the International Culinary Center was a career change?
Yes and no. Before school I worked as an account executive for a graphic and brand design firm, but my switch to cooking wasn’t deliberate, at least not at first. I started off taking classes for fun. After work, I’d walk down to the school three times a week and learn how to cook for a few hours. I was single. I didn’t have many commitments. Never in a million years did I think I’d end up in a kitchen.

Why did you pick pastry?
I studied biology and was premed in college. I think there’s something appealingly scientific about pastry. I liked the pace, too. If a kitchen does 100 covers a night, roughly thirty percent will be pastry sales. You’re busy but you can also put more care into each plate, which I like. The hot side is more stressful. Plus it’s really hot over there!

Why did you pick The International Culinary Center?
Like I said, I was working, and the school was nearby. It was also serendipitous. The day I took a tour of the school, the students were doing cold sugar work, crafting these bright bows and flowers out of nothing but sugar. I was awestruck. The other schools were making things like carrot cake. It wasn’t quite the same.

Can you talk a bit about your experience with the chef-instructors?
Yeah, it’s funny—because I didn’t work in a kitchen I had all these ideas before starting school. I imagined some French guy yelling at me in words I couldn’t understand. But it wasn’t like that at all. The chef-instructors joked around with us. I could relate to them. I learned a ton, but it was never intimidating.

So how did you end up working as a professional pastry chef?
It was gradual. I really enjoyed the school, and toward the end I made contact with one of the judges for our final exam, Vicki Wells, who was the corporate pastry chef for Bobby Flay. I was looking for a flexible internship, one or two nights a week, where I could keep my job and travel, and Vicki was willing to work with that. So I started going in on Fridays after work, from 5:30 to midnight, just observing and learning. Later, Bobby Flay decided to open a restaurant in Vegas. Vicki said to me, "You seem to really like this. You should go to Vegas. You can work for a year or two, then come back to New York City. You’ll be more qualified and can get a better job." At that point I’d been at my office job for four years, and I felt like I’d reached the time to make a change. So I moved to Vegas.

How did working in Vegas differ from New York?
I’d recommend Vegas to anyone starting out. There are a dozens of good restaurants within a few miles, and they always need pastry chefs. The casinos have money, so they pay well, and you’re in the union. You have benefits and vacation time. Of course, it’s harder now with the economy, but it’s still a great bet.

In retrospect, what was the most valuable lesson you learned while attending The International Culinary Center?
The diversity. Even now, it’s something that continues to impress me. If I see something new, I think, "Well, I’ve never made this for my job, but I remember having experience with it in school." We learned fast, but we learned a lot.

Any advice for people considering a career in pastry?
I never realized the variety of paths you can take in a pastry career. You can do cakes, you can do chocolate, you can do fine confection. There’s catering. You can open a bakery. There are restaurant bakers and industry bakers. You can teach. I really just never imagined so many opportunities.