Junior Tara Murtagh was beaming as her English class sang her “Happy Birthday” and junior Meg Kirchner distributed the chocolate fudge cake that she baked for Murtagh the night before.
“When it’s someone’s birthday, it’s special. I want to make them feel happy so I bake them things,” Kirchner said.
Since her freshman year, Kirchner has been baking cakes and other goods for birthdays, various school events, and holidays.
“I was really excited that she made [the cake] just for me, and it was pretty sick that we got to eat it during class,” said Murtagh.
Since the age of five, when she memorized the recipe on the back of a Betty Crocker brownie box, Kirchner has been a baker. While she hasn’t taken any formal classes, Kirchner has built up her skills with her collection of old family recipes and cookbooks, especially those written by Martha Stewart. Now, she bakes at least twice every week.
“I basically like making anything with flour,” Kirchner said.
For inspiration, Kirchner turns to both Martha Stewart and Duff Goldman, star of the Food Network reality show “Ace of Cakes.”
“Martha Stewart can take a pretzel and make it into a reindeer. Now, that’s awesome. She’s really great, minus the insider trading,” said Kirchner.
Kirchner has always baked most of her baked goods from scratch. “I honestly don’t mind box mixes, but when you make [cake] from scratch, it tastes better. I’ve compared it,” she said.
Kirchner’s favorite thing to bake from scratch is pound cake. “It’s easy, and it always tastes good,” Kirchner said.
Kirchner uses baking as an escape and she considers it a cure for boredom and stress. “When I don’t have anything else to do, I bake. I usually bake when I’m stressed out, which probably doesn’t help. I should probably be doing my homework,” Kirchner said.
While she admits that she would love to go to culinary school, Kirchner wants to pursue a career in food science, which is one reason why she decided to enroll in AP Chemistry this year. The field of food science involves the entire technical aspect of food, from molecules to meals.
“It’s a mix of chemistry, biology, and cooking. So, that’s cool,” Kirchner said.
She added, “Baking is fun. It’s an easy way to express yourself and make people happy.”
Joey Hoff can be reached for comment at [email protected].