1. Where does your love for baking come from? I've always been in love with anything and everything involving food since I was a little girl. From watching Food Network everyday after school (what 12 year old does that??) to sneaking raw eggs into my room so I could try and whip egg whites like they did on t.v., I couldn't get enough. So naturally, after a few years of college I decided to pursue that love and ended up enrolling and then graduating from the California School of Culinary Arts, in Pasadena, CA back in 2005 with a Le Cordon Bleu degree in all things food. Yay for French cooking!
2. When did you start to pursue your dreams as a pastry chef? Well, after graduating, I spent the next few years working countless LONG hours in various kitchens. I took whatever job I could- from cold food cooking, to sauté cook and head lead line, to then (of course) pastry work. This is where I really found myself- I couldn't get enough of the pastry art (I mean, desserts)! It's a beautiful art form (and pretty tasty to boot). I have a lot of burns, scars, and "battle wounds" from those days- and I love them all! I eventually landed the role of Pastry Chef after discovering how much I absolutely loved working with sweets and I have since acquired an even more extreme obsession withall desserts, especially cupcakes and pie!
3. How did you come up with the name “Sweet Lavender”? It's the silliest thing. 1. I love lavender. Like, LOVE it. There was a point where my friends would tease the heck out of me because every single thing in my home was lavender scented. It's such a lovely scent! 2. I love(d) baking. So naturally when you combine those two things you come up with Lavender and Bake Shop. Hahaha. Not really. But it worked in my crazy brain. Because I also love older vintage inspired things, I added the “pe” to the end of “Bake Shop” and tagged on the little “Sweet”.... It's really no award-winning story!
4. Do you have a favorite sweets shop/bakery in L.A.? Ohmygosh yes! Please, everyone! Come stay a week with me so I can drive you around the bazillion amazing sweet shops!!! Gaw, we'd be fat and happy together. On the very very tip top of my list are (in no particular order):
1. Susie Cakes in Manhattan Beach- make sure you get a slice of their Tropical Coconut Cake!!!
2. The Pie Hole in Los Angeles
3. Doughboys in Los Angeles (the BEST red velvet cake you will EVER have.)
5. When did you start your etsy shop? I started my Etsy shop back in 2010 (shoot...I think it was 2010!) out of necessity. Let's be honest friends...blogging is hard...and (sometimes) unpaid work. Not everyone can do that sort of thing without income and not everyone gets paying blog gigs right off the bat...or at all! So in 2010, I needed to start bringing in some sort of income, stat! I had already been making edible decorations for friends and family friends so it sort of made sense. After brainstorming with my good friend and my husband we decided it might be a fun thing for me to turn that hobby into a business! And viola!
6. Who and what inspires your culinary creations? When we used to have cable, Ina Garten, Giada De Laurentiis, and Martha Stewart were at the top of my inspiration list. I couldn't get enough of those lovely women! Their food was always classic and simple, yet amazingly elegant. Right up my culinary alley.
We haven't had cable for quite a few years now, so I tend to find inspiration from all the amazing baking books and blogs/websites out there as well as just life itself. I'm a very unfussy cook- I like food to be simple. I believe that if you combine simple fresh ingredients and easy(ish) techniques...you will make the most amazing food. I try to stick with that.
On my blog you will ALWAYS find foods that I have made for friends and family. You'll be a part of our lives, through food! Whether it was a birthday...a family get-together...or my husband simply craving cookies...every single recipe is and will always be something that reflects our life. You'll find stuff we love and make on a regular basis like this Quiche Stuffed Acorn Squash, Granola, Peanut Butter, or Almond Milk or stuff I made for a special occasion.
7. If you could bake one or two things for the rest of your life, what would they be? Pie. Pie. And, oh yeah- pie. With pie, you can go either in a savory OR sweet route ;) See what I did there? We'd be good for life. Bwahahahahaha, beating the system!
8. What is the motto that you live and work by? “Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting. But a woman who fears the Lord, is to be praised.” -Proverbs 31:30 Meaning, nothing I do on my blog will last. I am nothing without Jesus- it all ends at some point. So I try to not put too much weight/hope/fear/identity/anxi
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soooooooooooooo, who else is hungry now? don't those recipes look delicious?? if you're looking for something new to make to impress the family this holiday season, you should try out one of christina's culinary creations! christina, i love your heart and your outlook on life, and i hope we get to meet in real life at some point :)
this is the last time i'll be mentioning it, but i am still offering 50% off all advertising options up until christmas eve using the code: BUDDYTHEELF
xoxo,
Love this shop! and her life motto is so true!
Gosh thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to share!
I just love the girl! She has such a beautiful heart for the Lord! And she is super awesome at baking up a storm!
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