No More Cakeless Meetings

By Lindsay Morrison
ICC Professional Pastry Arts 2016

I may have had a business card labeling me as a Sales Manager, but most people know me as Benny’s Baker (#bennysbaker), an Instagram hashtag I made to show my friends and family all the things I bake for my husband, Benny. Luckily for my coworkers, I quickly started baking more than he could handle eating. What started as a hobby quickly turned into so much more.

I went to work every day counting down to five o’clock so I could rush home to bake. I would show up the next morning with cookies, a pie, a cake – sometimes all three. I had a chalkboard office door full of desserts my coworkers wanted me to bake for them. I dragged my colleagues to bakeries in between sales calls and catered breakfast pastries for our morning meetings. Physically, I spent my days at the office in a desk chair but mentally, I was at home in my kitchen wondering if I had enough butter and sugar for my next recipe.

Believe it or not, I toured ICC for the first time in 2010. It took me six years to realize that I go to bed happiest on days I’ve created art through food. I fall asleep mapping out what I’ll bake tomorrow, and I wake up excited only on the days I get to spend in a kitchen. After six years dreaming of the day I could trade in my suit for an apron, I was finally ready to turn my passion into a profession with a pastry path at the ICC.

The only problem was that I lived in Florida – with a husband, a dog, and (amongst dessert dreaming) a great job. It wasn’t an easy decision, but after months of planning, preparation and deep, deep thought, I finally took the plunge. A six month adventure in New York City to live a dream I’ve had as long as I can remember was something I simply couldn’t not do. The game changer for this career changer was that realization.

So, here I am: Lindsay Morrison, 27 years old, Pastry Arts Student – Level 1, Career Changer, from Delray Beach, Florida. Sure, I’m husband-less, wienerdog-less, family-less (at least there’s FaceTime), but I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I’m learning everything I’ve always wanted to learn, amongst a new family I’ve found at ICC. I’ve stopped staring at the clock and counting down the minutes until I get to go home – because I’m finally exactly where I want to be, doing what I love alongside inspiring Chefs and my talented classmates from all over the world. After only a few weeks here, I already feel more confident than ever that I made the right decision, more inspired to continue to do what I love, and more convinced that we should never, ever have cakeless meetings.

I’m so excited to be here and thrilled to be writing all about it – I can’t wait to share my experiences, recipes and everything else along the way with you.

– Lindsay
Blog // Instagram

This blog post was originally published by the International Culinary Center (ICC), founded as The French Culinary Institute (FCI). In 2020, ICE and ICC came together on one strong and dynamic national platform at ICE's campuses in New York City and Los Angeles. Explore your culinary education where the legacy lives on.