ABOUT

Born and raised in Philadelphia, I have been in the kitchen for as long as I can remember. Starting with going to my Dad's gourmet foods and catering business and learning from him how to cook, I took on a passion for baking and being in the kitchen. After Drake's Gourmet Foods, I spent a few summers interning at the Night Kitchen Bakery, a renowned bakery in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. I have also helped my Dad for many years with his catering events to prepare foods, serve at parties, and make many of the desserts. Also in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia, I worked with him baking for Mimi's, a breakfast-lunch cafe, while continuing to bake cakes for family and friends. 

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Eventually I went on to go to college at the Culinary Institute of America, where I graduated in 2024 with a Bachelors in Food Business Management with a focus in Baking and Pastry and a concentration in Mediterranean Cuisine. While attending the CIA, I completed a semester long externship at Walt Disney World's EPCOT pastry production kitchen, where I learned more baking and pastry techniques and mass produced baking. I also had the opportunity to study abroad in Barcelona, Spain to learn the art and culture of Mediterranean  Cuisine. 

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Once graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, I started working at Parc, one of Stephen Starr's French restaurants in Philadelphia, PA, as a pastry line cook.

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With a dream of continuing in my Dad's legacy of Drake's Gourmet Foods and Catering, I aim to continue with the Drake name in my own bakery business, Drake's Bakes!