Our teachers are a diverse group ranging from home bakers to professionally trained pastry chefs. We are all united in our desire to teach and help people gain confidence in their baking skills.
Tricia has been working at Duchess Bake Shop for over ten years and has worked in virtually every aspect of the business, including as a kitchen manager and pastry chef. She has years of experience working in the service industry, was previously a flight attendant living in Northern Ireland before returning to Canada in search of her baking career. Atelier has been her perfect role: sharing her love of baking and being around people, sharing food memories and stories. Tricia is always in a good mood, has boundless energy, is quick to help those around her and is much loved by all her students. When she’s not in our teaching kitchen, Tricia loves working out, spending time with her fur babies and trying to keep her many plants alive - with medium success.
I follow a keto diet six months of the year, which is complete self-torture smelling everything in the Bake Shop on a daily basis.
I always double my cake recipes so that I can freeze one. It comes in especially handy when you need a quick dessert fix (or forget you promised to make someone's birthday cake)! A couple of berries and some whipped cream or salted caramel straight out of the jar - it's such a treat.
I’m terrible at keeping tabs on my oven timer and often turn it off and forget about it. Needless to say, I’ve overbaked a few things…
Katie is born and raised in Edmonton. She’s a graduate of the Baking and Pastry program at SAIT and also holds an Architectural Technologist diploma from NAIT. She’s been with Duchess Bake Shop for over five years and has worked in both our pastry kitchen and Provisions. Katie loves to share her baking knowledge with our students and is our resident expert when it comes to baking techniques and the science behind recipes. When she’s not teaching in Atelier, Katie likes camping in her cute retro-camper, cross-stitching, and spending time with her family and fur babies.
I have a knack for turning my mixer on high when there’s flour and icing sugar in it. I’ve made some pretty epic messes!
I hate scraping down my mixing bowls with a spatula.
I love candy! The candy isle at Bulk Barn is a very dangerous place for me to be.
Erica completed her culinary arts and pastry training at Vancouver's Northwest Culinary Academy. After working in a number of Vancouver hotspots, she spent a year working in Spain's prestigious two Michelin-star, Mugaritz. In 2012 Erica moved to Edmonton and became part of the Duchess Bake Shop team. She is also an enthusiastic home baker and enjoys spending her days off making sourdough, croissants and treats for her family. Outside of teaching at Atelier, her two young kids keep her and her husband busy and happy. You might catch her running through the river valley, perusing the aisles of cookbooks at your local EPL Branch, or popping up a booth at a local market.
I believe that life is too short to eat day old pastries.
I meticulously label everything I make with title, date, initials, and perfectly cut tape… even at home.
Several times a year I’ll goof on my sourdough starter, feed it too much, and find myself baking loaf after loaf until the wee hours of the morning.
Sharileen is our resident pie queen and creator of the Sour Cream Cherry Pie—a Duchess classic since day one. Sharileen was the first person hired at the bake shop and is adored by our customers and staff. She's worked in the front of house, kitchen and Provisions. She's an amazing baker, a hilarious jokester and a very talented home baker.
I'm old school when it comes to making pie dough - I use two knives to cut in the butter!
I always listen to vintage jazz when I bake.
My favourite recipe is for a hundred year old tea biscuits. I don't make them often because I can eat a whole batch!
Pam is a member of our Provisions team and is much-loved at Duchess. She makes a mean doughnut and is an avid home baker. Pam is helpful, patient, and always in a positive and cheerful mood, which our students love. When she’s not at work, Pam loves knitting, hanging out with her family, taking care of her chickens and rabbits and spending time outside.
I always put double or triple the amount of vanilla that a recipe calls for.
I sometimes get so excited to bake up something that I rush through the recipe and end up missing a key ingredient, even if I’ve made the recipe a million times. I still eat the end product.
Every once in a while cookies end up as our dinner.
