T
hroughout her childhood, Harveys Lake resident Kate Evans remembers her family often stopping into Dymonds Farm Market Bakery to buy “goodies” as she called them – fresh baked doughnuts, rolls, pies, and cakes. Never during her childhood, did she envision this place would lead to her career. Evans and her mother, Cathie became interested in baking during her junior and senior years in high school. They enjoyed spending time together trying new baking recipes. Evans wasn’t sure what educational path she wanted to pursue in college. She has a lot of family in the area and wanted to stay local. Evans says she chose Luzerne County Community College because of the low tuition rate and because LCCC is great for students who are unsure of their career path. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do and LCCC was very accommodating,” Evans stated. “The counselors told me to try one class in this major and try one class in another major. I did and, eventually, I found my niche.” Kate started with some education classes and broadcast communications classes. Then she took a baking class at the College and fell in love with it. “I’m a hands-on learner, and the class was completely hands-on,” she says. “I started to love the idea of taking my interest in baking into a career.”
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Kate joined Luzerne’s Pastry Arts program just as it moved into the new Joseph A. Paglianite Culinary Institute in downtown Nanticoke. “We had state-of-the-art ovens, cooking facilities, and lots of room to work and learn,” Kate says proudly. “The instructors wanted everyone to learn and even have fun.” At LCCC, Evans learned many different skill sets and was encouraged to practice and try new things. “The faculty let us know if we were good at what we do, wanted us to succeed, let us be creative, and were always encouraged,” she says. “When I was attending LCCC, my stepdad asked what am I going to do with a baking degree. I looked at him and said I’m going to own a bakery one day in the Back Mountain.” Shortly after completing her Associate of Applied Science in Pastry Arts Management in 2011, she worked as an assistant pastry chef at the Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre and sold some of her baked goods at the Back Mountain and Tunkhannock farmers markets. Evans started putting her baking skills to the test by entering her Swedish Apple Pie in the 2016 Luzerne County Fair Apple Pie Contest.
