Culinary Inspiration and My Experience at summerlunch+ by Mislina Kutlu

Hi my name is mislina. I'm a Marc Garneau student, a summer lunch + employee, and I love to bake. I began baking at school in the hospitality program. I make cakes and decorate them in beautiful designs. I specialize in designing birthday cakes , holiday cakes and event cakes. I often have people asking for my cake designs 2-3 times a day. Over time students began to call me " cake boss “ inspired by the original cake boss, Buddy Valastro.

Buddy Valastro is a big inspiration to my work because of the creative ways he incorporates pop culture symbols and imagination into his cakes (Google Buddy Valastro Birthday Cakes). He teaches me that all my ideas are within my ability to create (See Photo #1). I get my information and learn my skills from youtube and have watched almost all of Buddy's videos.

Although my passion is baking, I have learned how to cook through my position at summerlunch+. My teacher thought this job would be an opportunity to get outside my comfort zone and I’ve learned a lot under the guidance of Lisa Slater.

In addition to my new cooking skills I have also learned how to be a better baker. I use to use measuring cups and spoons for everything but now thanks to Lisa, she teaches me how to use a scale for my accurate measurements and it's much easier and simple when the job requires me to replicate a recipe three times. Consistency is important!

I’m grateful to have the opportunity to learn from Lisa and enhance my culinary skills. I hope to open my own bakery one day and my experience at summerlunch+ will be an important stepping stone in my career. I’m excited for the next three weeks because I will continue to learn new culinary skills and tips!