I am Cameron Armstrong I just graduated from Auguste Escoffier school of culinary arts with a diploma in pastry arts and have been invited back to get my associates in pastry arts. I am currently a stay at home mom of one. I enjoy being outdoors, reading, spending time with my two year old son Baylor, and gardening. My biggest passion is being a mother and baking, learning the new techniques that come with new recipes. Challenging myself to make the most beautiful desserts, and the most delicious pastries. My love for baking started with my grandfather whom I call Pop Tart because we are always baking together and he is my best friend and my biggest inspiration in everything I do. We started off baking Christmas cookies when I was very young, and slowly we progressed into fudge and cakes and his favorite snicker-doodles. Although we live far apart now I still find that place of love in the kitchen when I’m baking. My grandma Rose was another great influence in my life and she taught me everything from sewing to baking, she was one of the most encouraging people I had in my corner. She always had a new recipe for me to try and learn, with tips and tricks up her sleeve to make things just a tad more fun and delicious. She left me her recipes and I plan to use them to teach my children and grandchildren those same tips and tricks. My goal is to continue baking from home and open a cottage bakery. Starting with my diploma in pastry arts helped me gain a better grasp of the business side of running a bakery and the basics of baking certain types of baked goods such as, tarts, breads, and sponges. When I visit my grandfather I always love to show him the new recipes I’ve learned and make them for him, getting back into the kitchen with him reminds me why I fell in love with baking in the first place. I want to pass this love and passion on to the next generation and show them the endless possibilities of pastries. My two year old son absolutely loves helping bake, especially when using a stand mixer is involved. I’m hoping he’ll continue to enjoy baking as much as I do. Yet I want to give other children that opportunity as well, I feel homemade baked goods is a dying art that needs to be cherished and reimplemented.

My passion for cooking started through my grandfather and his love for his Irish culture, yet truly took off while living in California and meeting so many people with different backgrounds. Experiencing dinners with my friend’s families and watching the different techniques that they used for certain dishes made me want to learn as much about every cultures cuisine that I could. I’ve watched many of my friends cook with their families of many generations from mothers to great great grandmothers, and watching the bond that they find through all being in the kitchen together is something that makes you want to be apart of it. From California to Maryland, all the way down to Louisiana where I currently live, I’ve watched the community gather together to celebrate food and life. I want to share that experience with other people whether it’s through baked goods or local cuisine, and share that with my son. Louisiana surely has some of the most food oriented festivals I’ve seen, from Gumbo cook offs to Jambalaya festivals, and learning from family’s great grandmothers who treat you like their own and show you how to make family recipes brings me to a whole new place of being completely great full for the world of food. Not to mention the passion and love behind every dish, I want to learn everything there is to know, and create my own to pass down to my own family and close friends keeping this tradition alive. I want to show the next generation that compassion and comfort found in the kitchen while making a dish, and the memories behind them all.

What inspired me to bake was baking Christmas cookies with my grandpa whom I call Pop Tart he is my absolute best friend and every year we would bake cookies together and put sprinkles and icing, which lead to me wanting to try to make his favorites, snickerdoodle cookies. Snickerdoodle cookies turned into me baking my own birthday cake, and going to the library to find baking techniques and cook books. Built up to me wanting to continue experimenting and perfecting baking different things. With a lot of trial and error. Baking takes me back to being in my grandfather’s cottage kitchen being covered in flour and being carefree just enjoying that time spent with him. If I had to choose my favorite thing to bake, I would have to say my favorite thing to bake is cakes. I love that a cake is a blank canvas and can become anything, from the shape to the height and just seeing what it can become. There is a new technique to learn every turn you take and new flavor combinations. Decorating from gum paste flowers to piping is just never ending with what you can do. Cakes can be used for every occasion. Not only are they very versatile but they can be sculpted into shapes such as people, animals, or landmarks. My goal since middle school has been to attend pastry art school and learn the ins and outs of owning a bakery and creating a cottage bakery out of my home. I am currently in pastry school and starting to build my bakery. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had from learning menu building to all the different ways to bake and create new recipes and designs. Well also learning new techniques to cake decorating and all the different types of icing and working with fondant. My main goal for my future is continuing to do what I love with baking and being able to achieve making other people’s visions for a cake come to life. While creating new types of cookies and all different types of bakes. Another thing I’m hoping to do with my bakery is have a farm stand to stock, cinnamon rolls, breads, cookies, and other small bakes to sell to my neighbors passing by. While I’m still building up to these goals, I know to take it slow and do one thing at a time and remind myself that I’m still learning. And then I’m doing what I love.