Adore April 2022

T rained as a contemporary dancer at Skidmore College with a double major in Kinesiology, Kaitlin has always had a love for science and creative expression. After a few years of dancing professionally, she pivoted to the culinary arts when she was accepted to the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. She interned at Restaurant 108 in Copenhagen and later worked at noted restaurants in San Francisco, honing her passion for farm-to-table ideologies.While back inNewOrleans "stress-baking" during the pandemic, she launched her small-batch pastry business, Lagniappe Baking. Committed to working with seasonal, local ingredients, she specializes in artfully curated pastry boxes filled with bold creations such as strawberry pepper olive oil cake and pumpkin spice snickerdoodles. Kaitlin Guerin TREME Pastry Chef

lagniappebaking.com

FAVORITE RESTAURANT IN NEW ORLEANS? Mosquito Supper Club and Fritai. So hard to pick just one! FAVORITE PART ABOUT WHAT YOU DO? Consuming copious amounts of sugar and being able to blame it on my career! FAVORITE QUOTE? "One of the greatest pleasures in life is that I have never stopped learning about good cooking and good food." Edna Lewis

WHY NEW ORLEANS? New Orleans is a city that fosters creativity, encourages artistic output, holds high in its traditions, and cherishes community support. Growing up here, I took all of this for granted. Coming back, I'm able to cherish all the city has to offer — the good, the bad, and all the glitter in between. WHAT DO YOU DO TO NURTURE CREATIVITY? I stay moving, both in the kitchen and out, to spark creativity. I've learned to be okay with imperfect work. I'm always learning something new. And I always make time for rest.

BIGGEST INSPIRATION IN YOUR WORK? Local, seasonal Southern produce.

WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE FOR TAKING CREATIVE RISKS? Just do the darn thing! So many times we doubt our creative selves — for myself that may mean turning down certain flavors or not trying to combine others together. How will we know if we don't try?

ADORE • APRIL 2022

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