Born, raised and educated in West Michigan, I trained in medicine at Wayne State in Detroit.

After working as an Emergency Room physician for 21 years I packed it in, and decided to follow my lifelong passion for baking. My husband and I sold our home in Vermont, sold our car and what belongings we didn't sell we put in storage and, with no definite plan in mind, left for Italy.

In January of 2006 I began the pastry program at Apicius Culinary School in Florence. I soon discovered a love for French pastry and where else but Paris to study with the best.

So, in August we moved to Paris where I enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu, completing the Diploma Patisserie in March of 2007. After that I worked as a stagerie at Pascal Pinaud's patisserie on Rue Monge in the 5th arrondissement.

(You can read more about our adventures online at http://sienaitaly.blogspot.com. You can go to the beginning of our Paris sojourn right here.)

We returned to the United States in April of 2007 and my first job was as the pastry chef/baker at J. M. Gerrish's Cafe in Winter Harbor, Maine. At the end of the season, my husband and I returned to Paris where I worked as a stagerie (again) at Pascal's -- and in November of 2007 we decided to move to Providence. That same November I took the position as pastry chef at Gracie's Restaurant in Providence.

In the spring of 2010, eager to return to Paris to study study techniques of making authentic croissants, and ready to move on to other opportunities, I left Gracie's for good and headed back to the City of Light. I took a croissant course at Lenotre but mostly worked on several recipes on my own.

After I returned to Providence I swam upsrtream for a few weeks before realizing that I had to do my own thing on my terms. So, my story continues to evolve, the adventure continues. Up next, "Sweet Nell's" nd the "French Taert" struggle to be born. Stay tuned!