Valedictorian turned her sweet hobby into a career after attending Le Cordon Bleu

Valedictorian turned her sweet hobby into a career after attending Le Cordon Bleu
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The Advocate’s features staff tracked down 17 valedictorians from Louisiana high schools from the Class of 2003 to see how their lives have gone since they graduated high school 20 years ago. Through the first week in June, we will publish individual profiles of the 2003 valedictorians, now approaching the age of 40.

Laura-Kate Barham Amrhein was the 2003 valedictorian of Zachary High School, a highly rated public school. The school has more than 1,600 students in the ninth through 12th grades. Amrhein, who also lives in Zachary, has been the owner of a bakery business, Sweet Stirrings, for 14 years. She has been married to Dustin Amrhein for 16½ years. They have two children, Jackson, 10, and Emmett, 7, and are expecting a daughter in August.

When you were in high school, was being valedictorian something you pursued? If so, what study habits did you use to get the best grades possible?

It was never something I ever thought I’d be capable of doing. … After getting straight A’s my freshman year, I decided that maybe it was possible! I am a little obsessive compulsive, so I made it a mission to get straight A’s the rest of my high school years. I’m definitely someone who has to study a lot. I always did better studying alone and talking out loud as I read.

How big an accomplishment did you feel it was to be valedictorian?

It was definitely such a cool goal to accomplish after all the years of hard work. It actually kind of led me to become much more goal driven about everything else in my life. Setting such a big goal and then doing the hard work to accomplish it is something I thrive on.

Did you get one or more college degrees? If so, please describe.

I have a pastry arts degree from Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin, Texas.

Did you get the degree you originally planned to study, or did you change majors and/or colleges?

I did attend LSU for three years but never could decide “what I wanted to do when I grew up.” I started in interior design and later changed to dietetics. It was during those years that I found a love of cooking and pastry arts as a hobby.

I ended up moving to Austin, Texas, after that third year at LSU. I was accepted into the University of Texas for dietetics but decided to sit out a year to get in-state tuition. Meanwhile, I attended Austin Community College to take all of the science classes that weren’t going to transfer. I kept making cakes and desserts as a hobby and eventually decided to pursue that as a career. That’s when I decided not to go to UT, but to attend Le Cordon Bleu instead.

What was your first job, and how has your career progressed up to today?

After culinary school, I worked at The Driskill Hotel in Austin in the pastry kitchen. I helped make all the breads, pastries, etc. I also worked at a custom cake shop during this time called Coco Paloma Desserts and continued to make cakes for friends in my free time. Making custom cakes and cookies quickly became an obsession, one that I still have.

After living in Austin for seven years, I moved back home to Zachary, and that’s when I decided to pursue my cake “business” as a full-time job.

Is your career where you expected or hoped it would be 20 years ago?

I would have never ever imagined where I am today if you would have told me this 20 years ago.

I had no interest in cooking or baking before my college years and didn’t realize how “artsy” and creative I was. I’ve had my business Sweet Stirrings now for 14-plus years, and it is one of my biggest joys and blessings. I have six amazingly talented women who work with me and we have so much fun every single day making wedding cakes, party cakes, cookies and desserts.

Tell us about your family.

I have been married to Dustin for 16½ years. We have a 10-year-old son, Jackson, and a 7-year-old son, Emmett. We are expecting a little girl this August and are very excited for this new addition. We also have a really sweet King Charles Cavalier, Ellie.

What are your future career goals?

I have so many ideas and dreams for how the bakery will grow. I really want to incorporate some sort of “walk-in” bakery atmosphere and we are currently exploring what that would look like. I’m also hoping to continue to grow by adding more assistants and being able to take on more wedding orders each week. We’d love to add on classes, parties and camps, and are hoping to start that this summer.

Interested in learning more about Louisiana’s 2003 valedictorians? Take a look at our introduction story here.

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About Mary Weyand 15958 Articles
Mary founded Scoop Tour with an aim to bring relevant and unaltered news to the general public with a specific view point for each story catered by the team. She is a proficient journalist who holds a reputable portfolio with proficiency in content analysis and research. With ample knowledge about the Automobile industry, she also contributes her knowledge for the Automobile section of the website.

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