Sarah Baker, a passionate culinary expert, has trained over 500 students, empowering them to excel in the world of baking. Her approach combines traditional techniques with modern creativity, making learning both accessible and exciting. Through her hands-on mentorship, Sarah instills confidence and skill in every aspiring baker. As she often says, “You won’t regret investing in your passion for baking.” Her guidance has helped countless students realize their potential and turn their dreams into reality.
Sarah started her journey as an chef?
I began my journey as a chef on October 23, 2022. It has been an incredible and fulfilling experience so far, allowing me to explore my passion for desserts and share that love with others. Currently, I run two brands, both focused on creating and teaching exquisite desserts.
The first is @sarahskunafahub, where I specialize in Turkish desserts, particularly Kunafa, which has become a signature offering. This brand allows me to bring authentic flavors from Turkish cuisine to my clients and teach them how to create these delicacies themselves.
The second brand, @scrumptious.desserts, focuses on a variety of desserts that are loved by people everywhere, such as cookies, cheesecakes, Swiss rolls, café-style muffins, brownies, and more. Through this platform, I offer workshops where I teach different techniques and recipes, helping people discover the joy of baking and creating their own delightful treats at home.
It has been a thrilling experience to grow both brands, and I am excited to continue sharing my knowledge and passion for desserts with everyone.
What baking Means to you?
Baking, to me, is a beautiful expression of love, care, and creativity. It’s not just about following a recipe or creating something edible; it’s about weaving together memories, emotions, and traditions into each dish. There is something deeply personal in the act of baking, whether it’s the comforting scent of fresh bread rising in the oven, the delicate process of decorating a cake, or the warmth that fills a kitchen when sharing a homemade dessert with loved ones.
Baking has a way of transcending barriers. It brings people together, offering a universal language that everyone can understand. The joy of sitting down with friends or family to enjoy something made with time and effort is unmatched. The act of baking can turn an ordinary day into a celebration, transforming a simple gathering into a meaningful experience.
Moreover, baking is a creative outlet that allows me to experiment, innovate, and challenge myself. It’s an art form where ingredients come together to create something both visually pleasing and delicious. The endless variety of techniques, flavors, and designs make baking a constant journey of discovery. It allows for self-expression, where I can make something that’s uniquely mine, whether it’s a traditional recipe passed down through generations or a new invention born from imagination.
Baking also teaches patience and mindfulness. Each step in the process—from mixing ingredients to waiting for the final product—requires focus and attention. The rewards, however, are often more than just the finished product; it’s the feeling of accomplishment and the satisfaction of knowing that something made with love has brought joy to others.
In essence, baking is more than just a skill—it’s a way to connect with others, express creativity, and share a piece of oneself. It’s the language of love, care, and creativity, one that can make the world a little sweeter.
If you were to bake a cake that symbolizes a key aspect of human existence, what ingredients would you choose, and why?
Lemon zest and juice Representing the sour and difficult moments in life Honey Symbolizing the sweetness and beauty that can emerge from challenging situations.
When training a large group of individuals, what is more important: tailoring your approach to each individual’s learning style, or creating a uniform strategy that ensures consistency for the group as a whole? Why?
On one hand, creating a uniform strategy that ensures consistency for the group is crucial for providing a clear structure and shared goals. A uniform strategy ensures that all participants are on the same page, working towards common objectives, and receiving the same foundational knowledge.
This approach is especially useful when the subject matter needs to be communicated in a standardized way, such as when there are critical pieces of information or guidelines that everyone must understand in the same manner. For example, in corporate training, regulatory training, or safety procedures, a consistent approach is essential to ensure that no one misses vital information or performs tasks incorrectly.
However, tailoring your approach to each individual’s learning style is equally important for optimizing engagement, retention, and effectiveness. People have different ways of processing and retaining information. Some individuals may be visual learners, others auditory, kinesthetic, or even logical thinkers.
If the training program is rigid and does not accommodate these varied learning styles, participants may struggle to absorb information or become disengaged. Tailoring to different learning styles can make the material more accessible and ensure that every participant can learn in the way that suits them best.
One of the most effective ways to balance these two approaches is by incorporating a mix of teaching methods that appeal to a broad range of learning styles. A well-designed training program should use a variety of techniques, including lectures, discussions, hands-on activities, and visual aids, to engage learners at different levels.
For instance, while delivering a lecture, visuals like slides or infographics can help visual learners. Simultaneously, allowing for group discussions or interactive activities can engage auditory and social learners. Hands-on exercises or role-playing scenarios can cater to kinesthetic learners who learn best through doing.
In addition to these methods, offering opportunities for feedback and interaction is essential. This could include group discussions, Q&A sessions, and collaborative problem-solving tasks. These activities foster a more dynamic and inclusive learning environment, where participants not only absorb information but also apply it in practical ways. This kind of interactive learning also promotes deeper understanding and retention of knowledge, especially when learners are able to share their thoughts and connect the content to their personal experiences.
Furthermore, incorporating a mix of teaching methods helps maintain engagement and motivation throughout the training process. By varying the methods used, you keep the training session dynamic and interesting, preventing the monotony that can come with a single teaching method. This variety can help sustain attention and participation, which is crucial when managing a large group with diverse backgrounds and learning preferences.
In practice, the ideal approach is not either/or but both. Start with a uniform foundation—providing consistent content and structure for all participants—but be flexible and open to using various methods to reach the different individuals within that group.
This way, you ensure consistency in the core material while still accommodating the unique ways people learn. By actively mixing lectures with hands-on activities, discussions, and visual aids, you address a broad range of learning styles and create a more inclusive, effective, and engaging learning experience for everyone involved.
Ultimately, a mixed-method approach allows for the best of both worlds: consistency in delivering essential information and flexibility in accommodating diverse learning preferences. This balanced approach increases the chances of success in training, fostering an environment where all participants feel valued and equipped to learn effectively. It also promotes greater retention and application of the material, ensuring that individuals walk away from the training not only with a shared understanding but with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed.
When developing a new recipe, to what extent does creativity outweigh tradition? Should innovation in baking challenge established techniques and flavors, or should it respect and preserve the time-tested methods that have been perfected over generations?
When developing a new recipe, the balance between creativity and tradition in baking is a delicate and nuanced one. The question of whether innovation should outweigh tradition or whether new creations should respect and preserve time-tested methods is complex.
In truth, both elements play a vital role, and it’s often not about one overshadowing the other, but rather how innovation can enhance and evolve traditional techniques and flavors. Understanding and respecting tradition provides a solid foundation, allowing creativity to flourish in ways that build upon the established methods rather than disregard them.
Tradition in baking is not merely a collection of recipes passed down through generations; it is a repository of knowledge, expertise, and craftsmanship that has been honed and perfected over centuries. Time-tested techniques, whether it’s the delicate folding of dough in croissant-making, the careful fermentation of sourdough, or the specific temperature control in baking a cake, are deeply rooted in both cultural history and technical precision.
These methods are not just the result of trial and error but are refined by experience and a deep understanding of ingredients and their interactions. The balance of flavors, the textures, the rise of bread, and the golden crust are all outcomes of years of perfecting these methods.
This respect for tradition in baking should not be seen as a constraint but rather as a foundation upon which creativity can be built. Innovation in baking is not about completely discarding what has worked for generations; rather, it’s about taking those established principles and pushing them further.
By understanding the intricacies of traditional techniques, bakers can better appreciate the reasons why certain methods work, and then find ways to adapt or modify them to suit modern tastes or to reflect personal style. Creativity, in this sense, becomes an evolution of tradition rather than a rebellion against it.
For instance, a baker might take the traditional concept of a pastry like the classic French éclair, but introduce a contemporary twist, such as unique flavor combinations, unexpected fillings, or even altering the texture of the dough itself.
This doesn’t mean disregarding the original éclair’s foundational principles of pâte à choux or the art of glazing, but rather expanding the possibilities within those boundaries. Creativity in this sense allows bakers to explore new flavor profiles, such as using exotic spices, fruits, or even savory elements that challenge the traditional, while still respecting the integrity of the base technique.
Innovation in baking can also be seen as a way to adapt to changing tastes and dietary needs. For example, the rise in popularity of gluten-free, vegan, or low-sugar baking has led to the development of alternative methods and ingredients that maintain the spirit of baking while accommodating new preferences.
These innovations challenge established techniques and flavors, but they do so with an understanding of how ingredients work together. The use of flaxseed in place of eggs, almond flour in place of wheat flour, or coconut sugar in place of refined sugar all represent innovative adaptations of traditional recipes. Here, creativity thrives, but it is grounded in an understanding of the original methods.
In addition, innovation in baking can serve as a vehicle for personal expression. A baker may take inspiration from the tradition of their culture or family and then combine it with their unique experiences or the influences of other culinary traditions.
A traditional Italian cannoli may find itself paired with modern fillings like matcha or salted caramel, or even encased in a different type of dough altogether. These new iterations can create excitement and engagement in the culinary world, drawing attention to the possibilities of what baking can become while still paying homage to its roots.
At the same time, it’s essential to recognize that not all baking innovation needs to be dramatic or avant-garde. Sometimes, subtle innovations—such as refining techniques or incorporating local, seasonal ingredients—can lead to a new level of creativity without sacrificing tradition.
A baker may experiment with a new yeast culture that enhances the flavor of bread, or they may decide to infuse their pastries with a locally sourced fruit, creating something fresh while staying true to the spirit of their craft.
Ultimately, the most successful innovations in baking come from a deep respect for traditional techniques, combined with a willingness to experiment and adapt. Tradition is not static; it evolves as new generations of bakers add their mark, taking what was once established and improving upon it, ensuring its relevance for the future.
Creativity in baking doesn’t mean abandoning what’s worked for centuries, but rather, using that knowledge as a springboard for new possibilities. It’s about knowing the rules well enough to break them thoughtfully, and finding new ways to celebrate the timeless pleasure of a well-baked creation.
In this way, innovation and tradition are not mutually exclusive but complementary forces. A baker who understands the techniques passed down through generations can more effectively manipulate them, twist them, and reimagine them, leading to new flavors, textures, and experiences that continue to push the boundaries of what baking can be.
When done thoughtfully, creativity enhances tradition, keeping it alive and relevant, while tradition provides the foundation upon which new ideas can be built. This harmonious relationship between the old and the new ensures that baking continues to evolve, delighting and inspiring people for generations to come.
Your Favourite recipe you always wanted to share with audience? What you wanted to say about aspiring Upcomming Chef?
As a food enthusiast, I have many favorite recipes, but one that I always wanted to share with the audience is my signature “Saffron Crusted Kunafa”.
It’s a unique twist on the traditional Middle Eastern dessert, where I infuse saffron into the crust and layer it with creamy cheese and crunchy nuts. It’s a game-changer!
To all the aspiring and upcoming chefs out there, I would say
“Never stop experimenting and innovating! Food is an art form, and there’s no right or wrong. Take risks, try new ingredients, and techniques. And most importantly, cook with love and passion.”
Remember, the culinary world needs fresh perspectives and creative minds. Don’t be afraid to put your own spin on classic dishes and share your unique voice with the world!
Keep cooking, and never lose your passion for food!
