![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwz9swgWb6JqqCvJ1V0WtAzB_RI_sjP0GucJBTj0jStwzr4Osk0eyrcWuWpnbYgSNGNvN1gSkh98eKi6A96hyphenhyphenPAWJKqz6-095LPksd9J2w65VSj2fkXuFQSQBHpKkW3eI87vBOGAQqaA-/s640/KCS+Jenna22.jpg)
"Baker Babes" is an ongoing collection of interviews from ladies that know how to use their oven like a champ.
Wanna know why Jenna's blog is amazing? 1.) Marshmallows 2.) Cats. 3.) If you really need a third, you're reading the wrong blog. Jenna is amazing, and we've been online friends (yes, it's a thing) for a long time. You can read about the adorable life of a marshmallow maker here ---> on Kitty Cat Stevens!
-----------------------
Name: Jenna LeDawn
Occupation: Marshmallow Maker, Vintage Styling Assistant
Dream occupation: To travel the country selling my handmade books!
Age: 25
Occupation: Marshmallow Maker, Vintage Styling Assistant
Dream occupation: To travel the country selling my handmade books!
Age: 25
What was your earliest memory about baking? I was about eight or nine and went next door to hangout with the two girls that lived there. We made stained glass cookies and it's the first time I can remember baking without an adult. The cookies used jolly ranchers to create the look of stained glass and they were break-your-teeth hard. I distinctly remember being fascinated by the way random ingredients came together like magic to create something completely new and delicious!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIS8ty5IdtCJdFS0x3T0QJnQjIWCvwDraHEu1WS63iUOTP3E_1Z0t1Jju5XcRyTNuKwbX7AiWCcdMmpPvsBvXEGiLoY1XhrlRV0A5fn0jt0tAhmsopgvVz5dX6vuFnxAZ89R3tCuALNoB8/s640/KCS+Treats2.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS-zut3vkJDQpkYpk5sw3Y7gfrPrNHE_xZX-n1pDZ63Shb2p0abdDOTdHPWL04XCRI5imfIEdF3x5hqEqdIkZaFzjSQ3mV7xgx7Vb1HOTs28vshRb_-u4MxPhQpXNN65cMZ4fs5AHAgd3Y/s640/KCS+Mallows1.png)
Howd’ja get started baking? Until college, the only baking I ever did was from a box. Once I moved out of the dorms and into a house with an awesome kitchen I really fell in love with baking. That's when I met my best friend Shannon, who taught me the witchy ways of vegan baking. I guarantee we put on some of the best bake sales that college town has ever seen!
After I graduated, I worked as the head baker of a local cupcakery for nearly a year. I loved it but there wasn't any room for upward movement, so when the opportunity to become a recipe tester and product photographer for a startup marshmallow business came around I obviously jumped at the chance. Now that I am not baking 40 hours a week, I have a passion for it like never before.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWWRX0exmMU-yc_oAyiSMP8_i95rk1dVlPyBxXS7XgMmGZItnAGLIBAQjtNVDg61oPGdB9I9iAhwps0mxWfgLNxfC4iLWm6Q7VUwMZhaAYeY29A30JJDmtEGuB4mGJE1a47IdUmdAVXQvO/s640/SV+KCS1.png)
When you picture “a baker” what do you see? I see a really smart, sassy woman in a frilly vintage apron with a tray of handmade donuts piled high. Welp, I guess I'm basically describing Shannon— oops! But she taught me everything I know about baking so I guess in my head she is the ideal baker. I mean, she said farewell to grad school in order to pursue her passion and create a baking career— how's that for a "baker"?!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcgv4XxiRtCKPuQlKNdBWmP6hHRkh4bBgXwNRo_hvU4pWkZZFXG2Z-L_4R_0ckK04rBUXQa5hyphenhyphenu5j1AHT_NoORteC5oP0Tohhl9N0782PyLZS2MmlLmQgRfHM98t50dBAwPC0iQ3t6kzCn/s1600/KCS+Kitchen3.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9QJL7PGlzA5ufO-2t0Ij8sJhM9aNKbc-tjqgtNqvcLcrOduUQjKDMKVMFItl6nipA0iiDMzoolCD0M0HNiLIixNNYCb9lEzweUJqmBnH4Klzz7mqia_HopajFURAZADUUnYHGSXe54QtR/s640/KCS+Kitchen4.png)
What qualities or skills does it take to be a baker? The ability to multitask, patience, learning from mistakes, and a willingness to step outside your comfort zone and try new things. We all have to start somewhere but I really think anyone can be a baker. I've joked with my boss before about how when someone tells me they "can't bake" all I hear is "I don't know how to follow instructions".
What was the biggest baking FAIL you ever had? Oh, dear! One time I tried to make naturally colored red velvet cupcakes using beets— it was a disaster. They tasted straight up like dirt— terrible, tangy dirt. It was so bad but I think it's important to acknowledge the failures as well as the successes of baking!
How do you feel about Martha Stewart? A strong, smart, independent woman that built an empire— what's not to love?! Seriously though, I think she has impeccable taste, regardless of her past. Who hasn't done things they regret? We gotta support our fellow ladies, not cut them down!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6kEpNmRnCa1ANz1ka3EksbxaQkivRAJjY4Pcqs-WVjFbFEtYIyDzSYzBWleLBuRTDpvKTfe3m0vFAQ4-GV9gSlcdQqiWpGKUNdcZnVjUaI1IUMjqEN-WUWaRaOLAkAGBRtyhWuiCmMhMM/s640/KCS+Jenna1.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr2lDofZ30pUY8PT061xAtT54bpXatE7rTkE_J8I3NN2qKnJkMdPGSAld7r0bFa3Asvpa1sG4f5WnHfmoW5yCpb_uj-W3o7ixYeG6n71b3AEtFWO3w1332FDi7lKpPXvEK4tgpArvXlv0/s640/KCS+Mallows2.png)
Tell me something random that most people don't already know: I laugh at my own jokes, I think spaghetti is overrated, I hardly ever shower or wash my hair, I love licorice, and I'm obsessed with vintage cars.
If you had to be an ingredient in a recipe, what would you be? I'd probably be a classic glass bottle of warm vanilla bean paste. A little intimidating at first but irresistible once you've gotten to know me. Nothing brings out the best in a dessert like vanilla bean paste and think that's a metaphor for my hopeless optimism. Also the fact that we're both freckly just seals the deal for me!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfBP-teSsq8osqE5XqiF6Lg-V7CTFaNlkM_oQkpm8oQEJ-NJpnMvZQ5ReFhi16Q3C5EriVwesv-OUFd99f3hjhVP2lbYzGu5Np6F69e-H_d78bDYIuaGsJHUCeagPy54z83O4he_B8Ht_p/s640/SV+KCS2.png)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJw_79sGvMm92DuBGcN4A4p-Fq5zC2ZzvN_OobqnFco9R7K5sIPp_k7GB8USvLwAlY5WHdiSgHdlrJhxGuSCU9beo4ZRdgBtXg5TAEi_WkmXuxSWvN2AblnnFKPNgbipF5amqf8xcg1RUI/s640/PicMonkey+Collage.jpg)
Will you share your all time favorite recipe with us? This Apple Pie Yeast Braid is definitely my favorite. I love it because it's a mashup of several of my favorite recipes. It also looks so much more intricate than it really is! I usually recommend this to anyone making bread for the first time because it's practically foolproof and you can alter it with any fruit you prefer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUBYtHrOrXbxJRTGLKX04_M1o5iz74jOtAyvpJqvBp3vsjASQZUIY5-6p74jGEQ5TVCvlPpaQ30PCq0L5KP9Za-0NXK-D9dPFbisjVMur3alGuDuBAl8i6XP4VMMeeenyG6Cb5oA2oV4A/s640/KCS+Treats3.png)
(Click on this link to read an illustrated version of the bread recipe)
-----------------------
A couple of Valentine Days ago I made chocolate ganache tartlettes with a beet shortbread crust. It also tasted like dirt. But, it turns out that chocolate and dirt go really well together. I would recommend it! Kisses your way Jenna!
A couple of Valentine Days ago I made chocolate ganache tartlettes with a beet shortbread crust. It also tasted like dirt. But, it turns out that chocolate and dirt go really well together. I would recommend it! Kisses your way Jenna!
Jenna is the best person in the world, but I might be a little biased. I love her even more than I love vanilla beans.
ReplyDeleteI love Jenna! This was a super cute interview. :)
ReplyDeleteI love Jenna! This was a super cute interview. :)
ReplyDelete