Great to meet you! I’m Joey, and I’m so excited to welcome you to The Budding Baker.

Born and raised in the suburbs of New York City, I grew up with a major love of food. Mostly eating it. From big family holidays to tapas with friends, food has been at the center of so many great memories. I’m definitely someone who lives to eat rather than eats to live.

During the tough times, as the coronavirus pandemic has set in around the world, food has become a seemingly simple and yet precious source of joy. Although now instead of just eating it, I’m creating it.

In the past few months, I’ve fallen in love with my kitchen. A place that – I’ll be honest – was always very intimidating for me. I’m not a good cook. I never had an instinct for blending flavors or knowing when things would burn or dry out. My fridge is normally empty, and Grubhub is the most used app on my phone.

Even still, I’ve long imagined I could be a decent baker since I’m a bit of a stickler for details. Baking always seemed to follow a precise recipe. Who knows how much a dash of pepper is? But an ⅛ teaspoon of cinnamon – that I could manage. Only problem was, I never took the time to give that a fair shot either – until now.

With plenty of time on my hands during quarantine, baking has become a treasured project. And while I haven’t jumped on the “sourdough starter bandwagon,” I’m continually amazed that with six simple ingredients – eggs flour, sugar, butter, baking soda and salt – I can create thousands of different, delicious treats.

Now don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely NO idea what I’m doing. I’ve had to redo recipes more than once and spend half my time working up the courage to try new bakes. I mean, can a self-proclaimed kitchen-phobe really make croissants?

The answer is YES! And I’m taking everything I’m learning and putting it right here for you. I love studying the differences between muffins and cupcakes, finding the exact pan you need to make Ina Garten’s heavenly Sour Cream Coffee Cake, and testing the best techniques for rolling and cutting your own homemade fondant.

My new love of baking has only driven home what I’ve always believed – that food, especially sweets, should be shared, enjoyed and celebrated. That’s what inspired me to create this space for all the Budding Bakers out there. A place you can come get the info, tips, and confidence you need to become a real, bona fide baker. You’ll learn from my mistakes, share in my wins, and find the answers you need to make the perfect goodies for your family and friends.

So let’s have some fun! And as my nephew would say… bake-bake-bake.