MY STORY
My name is Hannah and I am an alumna of
The Culinary Institute of America.
Growing up, I was a military kid. I was born in Virginia, but we moved to California while I was still little. We spent 9 years hopping around California before moving back to Richmond, Virginia when I was going into sixth grade. My family has lived in Virginia since.
While I was in high school, I studied Information Technology through my school's specialty center. I graduated with an advanced honors diploma, and left with numerous certifications, including the IC3 and Adobe Premiere.
Following graduation, I attended James Madison University. I started off as a Media Arts & Design major, changed to Elementary Education, and then to Hospitality Management. Once I got to hospitality, I was able to recognize that my true passion laid in food.
In summer of 2018, I started an internship with Carytown Cupcakes, where my passion flourished. What started as an internship turned into a full time job. I took the time to regather, and that's when I submitted applications to culinary school and started touring. I got in to both of the schools I wanted to, and they definitely did not make the choice easy.
After seeing both schools, I was overwhelmingly impressed by The Culinary Institute of America, and I made my choice to go there the day I toured the campus. Two weeks later, I started classes.
Once I got to CIA, I turned into a sponge. I wanted to learn everything offered to me, and my heart was finally happy again. I found my place in the industry, and I can't wait for these baby steps to turn into full dives into all I've dreamed of doing!
I externed at the Four Seasons in West Palm Beach. I fell in love with the state and the company, and I eventually hoped to find my way back to either.
Upon graduation, I spent some time working with a company on menu design and recipe engineering. Although temporary, I loved this position deeply and gained so much knowledge in different aspects of recipe and menu design that I hadn't gotten to see firsthand previously.
In April of 2022 I relocated to Orlando, Florida. While in Orlando, I worked several positions ranging from server all the way through Executive Chef.
In December of 2023, my partner and I got the biggest surprise: the news of a little one on the way! In May of 2024 we were relocated for his job, so I began cottage baking while anticipating tiny human's arrival. In August 2024 we welcomed Oliver into the world.
April of 2025 we were relocated again to the West Palm Beach area. Since Oliver was bigger now, I began returning to work. I currently work three nights a week in the kitchen of a major hotel.
At the same time, I am actively pursuing getting an LLC so I can put more time into my own business and hopefully turn cottage baking into a full business. If I play my cards right, I hope that next steps include a farmer's market table, vendor tables at community events, and even a restaurant in the future.
To help make these goals a reality, I have begun trying to pursue my bachelor's degree in Food Leadership from my alma mater of The Culinary Institute of America.
I am so excited to continue building on what I have learned and can't wait to see where life will take me in this journey!
-Han
