Behind Kicken Confections

    I think it’s about time to really explain who is behind Kicken Confections and what’s Kicken Confections main purpose/goal. My name is Antoinette and I graduated from The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE)  in 2011 with a degree in pastry and baking arts. I’m currently 24 years old and always liked to bake but it took me a good while to realize that it would be one of my main purposes in life. The road to the kitchen is often a jagged one, filled with stops, pitfalls and extreme highs and devastating low’s.
 
    Kicken Confections first started while I was still in school  as a way to make some pocket money and  to practice what I was still learning. A few cakes here and there some batches of cookies, blondies, etc.

    I learned many things in school such as bread making ,chocolate and sugar work ,cake and pies and almost anything else you can think of. I truly loved my experience in school and its probably one of the best times of my life. Its very hard to find a teacher that actually want to be there and enjoys mentoring not only teaching. If you are flowing the whole jagged road spiel this would be my high. Going to school and thinking I would be the next culinary giant to hit the scene.

    I was wrong, so very wrong….. What I thought would be an open job field with warm  welcoming people more then willing to take me under their wings and help me become a better pastry cook. Nope nope nope, reality hit me in the face…more like sucker punched me in the jaw. I lost count of how many trail and interviews I went on and how many times I heard, “You did great but I have about 5 more people trailing today.”

    All they wanted was years of experience  which was hard for me to obtain since no one would give me a chance. “I can’t get a job cause I don’t have experience. I don’t have experience cause I can't have a job!”
It literally beat the passion and the love I had for baking out of me and for a while I didn’t want to bake anymore. I hit my lowest low .

    I now have started to feel the spark of passion again. I wasn’t happy baking for a boss but I am the happiest when I’m baking for my customers and rescues and even for myself. I left my awful job for the pursuit of happiness and  to find myself again. Even though I have had many negative things happen to me in the past few years since school, I just want to put a positive force in the world . Even if its by one cup cake and a dog treat at a time!

    In this blog you will see tasty baked goods, hear about awesome rescues and join me on this new journey I’m taking in my life. I’ve got an amazing partner, a passion for baking, a big heart and an adorable pug …and that’s all I need right now.

     I’m just a 24 year old baker looking to change the world just a little bit by adding some sweetness into it. 

_______________________________________________________________________________

 Now my turn to talk about the other part of KC. My name is Stephanie, I am in charge of the stocks for the dog treats, knife cuts, and savory recipes. I went to school at Star Career Academy of New York where I got to meet cool new people, awesome teachers, and learn the basics of cooking. 

I haven't always been in NYC. I was born in Puerto Rico where I lived for 11 years, then my family moved to Florida. It was very tough moving into a complete different environment, school system and different language. I knew English, but nothing really prepared me for how it would be. I always found comfort in the kitchen but never thought seriously about it.

It wasn’t until I entered high school and started taking cooking classes that got me more into cooking. I found out that I actually enjoyed cooking and that you don’t  have to follow the actual recipe to get flavor in food or for it to come out good. I slowly got more adventurists in the kitchen and instead of watching my parents cook for family gatherings, I started to get in there and cook.

I won’t lie, I have tried baking but unfortunately that is my weakness in the kitchen. I can make good breads, just not cakes, which is why I stick to the savory part and not the baking. I leave it to Antoinette. I am just very content being her guinea pig to new recipes and savoring her baked goods.

I hope you enjoy reading this. There will be more to come. We would love to share some recipes and we are more than willing to talk about baking, cooking, sharing experiences, and talking about rescues. We all belong to one world, why not make it a little better a spoon full at a time?