It's been a while mes amis. I am inclined to apologize profusely, but then again, I mean, it is Christmas time in New York City. That has to be the best excuse ever no? Ah right, and my boyfriend just told me he loves me. I'm over the moon. Its been a good week. But I am back now, because we have lots and lots to discuss. For now, its all about Allison from
Dolcetto Confections who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time last weekend over tea and scones at
Alice's Tea Cup here in NYC. It was inevitably a delightful afternoon. There's nothing quite comparable to making new friends who enjoy eating and talking about food as much as you do, while dining at an Alice in Wonderland inspired tea room during the holiday season. Can you think of anything better? I'll wait. (Drums fingers.) Nothing right? Thought so.
Well Allison really is as sweet as her recipes. She's homegrown from Virginia, came here for a boy and a dream, and never looked back. Thankfully the boy is still in the picture, and her dream landed her at Martha Stewart where she works as recipe tester and food stylist. My jealousy levels flew threw the roof. I knew I had to interview her the moment I found out she switched from finance to baking, a pattern I can't help but overlook in chefs these days. Her story is humbly inspiring and hopefully it gives you a nudge to add something to your resolution list (which we need to go over this week by the way!). Tomorrow I'll post some other bits and goodies about Allison, as well as the review for Alice's Tea Cup and a giveaway Allison offered to host. Isn't she sweet! Enjoy.
xoxo
♥ 1. While growing up, what did you do, dream of becoming, and will be remembered for by friends and family?
I was a very detailed-oriented, type-A child. I always performed well in school, involved myself in a variety of extracurricular activities, and generally gave my parents no cause for concern. But, in addition to my precise nature, I also fostered a very creative side and my parents always made sure I had an outlet in which to express this, whether through music, crafts, and, of course, baking.
I continually changed my mind of what I wanted to become, but I always knew I wanted to make people happy. Teacher, pediatrician, lawyer - these were all things I dreamed of becoming when I was younger.
I am not really sure what my friends and family will remember me for, but I hope it's a good memory! More than anything, I hope they remember my love for family, which my friends now become a part of, by way of living in New York City. I feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by such incredible, supportive people.
♥ 2. What is it about baking that always captivated you?
My mother loves baking and I remember spending many Saturday mornings creating something in the kitchen with her. Even when I was obviously too young to be of any real help, she would always give me little tasks to keep me involved. As I grew older and became more of a help in the kitchen, I loved that we could always talk - about anything.
My father loves cooking, although he did not get as much opportunity to share time with me in the kitchen due to a full-work schedule. So now, when I visit home, he has started to teach me some of his best dishes. But forget about asking for a recipe - anytime I do, it's "a handful" of this or "a smidgen" of that!
So, above all, I would say I was drawn to a career in food because of the comfort it provides people. I was never particularly popular in school, but I always felt at home and comforted in the kitchen with my family.
♥ 3. Was the career switch from finance to culinary a scary one?
It was incredibly scary! I felt I had been on a direct path my entire life for a successful, well-compensated career. When I realized I was miserable, I really had think, for the first time in my life, about what I really wanted to pursue. It was evident that I would never be happy with a career that paid well, but I held no passion for.
When I figured out that my passion was in the kitchen, it became even scarier. I knew I did not want to be in restaurants, but also knew I would have to work in one in order to pursue a food career. It was the first decision in my life that my parents were not jointly excited about. My mother was very excited for me, but my father was very hesitant. He worked in professional kitchens and was a chef for many years before marrying my mother, so he knew first-hand about the long hours and low pay.
♥ 4. How did you choose where to study culinary arts/patisserie?
As the financial end of culinary school was my responsibility, I needed a program that I could attend while still working full-time in finance. Ultimately, I chose to attend The Institute of Culinary Education because the evening program worked well with my hours and was most affordable.
For awhile I was worried I would be less prepared than someone with an education from the CIA or Le Courdon Bleu. But, working in professional kitchens taught me that a culinary eduction is just like any other - it is what you chose to make from it that really determines your success.
♥ 5. So what was the program like; compared to baking as a hobby?
I loved the program - the curriculum really opened my eyes to the art of baking and took my passion well beyond cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. With working full-time and attending classes at night, I was often quite tired, but also loved that I had an excuse to bake every night for four hours.
♥ 6. What was the first thing you did after the program finished?
The next day, my boyfriend and I hopped a plane to visit my family in Virginia for some much needed R&R.
♥ 7. When did you decide to launch Dolcetto as a business, and why?
Originally, I thought I wanted to launch Dolcetto Confections as a true business with eventually having a storefront. But I learned a lot during my trails and restaurant work and just do not feel that I could ever offer the level of product quality I would be proud of and still make a profit while paying rent in Manhattan. So, for now, any orders for desserts are all through word-of-mouth.
♥ 8. Do you still remember your first order?
I do! A co-worker of mine in finance asked me to create a birthday cake.
♥ 9. How did you get your name out in such a competitive city like Manhattan?
I'm still learning! To this point, everything has been word-of-mouth.
♥ 10. You get to share what you love with hundreds of people via not only your blog, but publications like Glamour, Brides.com, and Gourmet Food. How did these wonderful opportunities come about?
These publications have found my work and chosen to publish them on their own blogs. I usually do not find these until months later, so I have come to love when someone tells me they will be featuring my work!
♥ 11. Congrats on being published in Martha Stewart magazine. How on Earth did you accomplish something so fabulous so young?
I currently freelance in the test kitchen for Martha Stewart Living and Martha Stewart Weddings. I have always dreamed of working for the company, but as you might imagine, they rarely have full-time positions. As a freelancer, I am able to work on a variety of projects - everything from recipe testing and development, styling foods for magazine photo shoots and Macy's product photo shoots, and working with Wendy Kromer on wedding cakes.
♥ 12. Why did you decide to go beyond baking, and pursue food writing, styling and recipe development? Did you study those as well?
I never studied these subjects, although - fun fact! - I did work as a sports photographer during college. My interest in food media really stemmed from writing my blog, which I originally started to keep my family up-to-date with my adventures in pastry school. After pastry school, I eventually started posting recipes here and there.
I really just started to love the entire process of creating a recipe, tweaking the recipes, taking photographs, and writing about the end result. That's when I realized I wanted pursue my career in food media.
♥ 13. How would you describe Dolce Confections today? Where do you want it to be in 5 years?
Dolcetto Confections has always been a collection of thoughts, photographs, and recipes from my life. But the site has evolved quite a bit this year! I am gaining more readers every day, which is both humbling and exciting. Since I know I will never run out of recipes to try, my hope is that my writing and photography continue to improve.
♥ 14. How do you stay inspired?
I am always trying to take something and improve upon it or twist it in a new direction. Creatively, this is great, but often means I have flashes of brilliance that wake me from sleeping!
Also, there is an endless supply of inspiring blogs out there. I love to read a wide variety of them - from inspiring, well-known food writers to people like me, who have a camera and an idea.
♥ 15. Any last words?
Never settle for anything but your true passion.
all images by Allison M. Veinote
Do you dolls miss me yet? Because I sure do miss you. We have tons to catch up on including Allison and me at Alice's Tea Cup, my latest tea party revelations, and of course the Christmas dinner to top all dinners. Okay well not really, but surely I deserve a foodie Oscar for the miracle that was this weekend. In the meantime, lets all sit in awe at Annick Van Wesemael's, author of Tasty Tables, table presentation work. Man oh man, I can barely contain my glee. When I finally get my foodie biz off the ground, this will be my daily duty. Who says work can't be fun?
