While sitting on top of the kitchen counter with her mom beside her, 4-year-old Chloe Fruchey drizzled the melted caramel on top of warm, freshly baked brownies.
Unbeknownst to her at the time, this fond memory was the beginning of a passion settling into her heart.
Growing up, Fruchey would bake and share her creations with others as a leisurely hobby. Though she loved the craft, she thought that her baking career would always be a childhood fantasy.
Now a sophomore, Fruchey realized that her love for the art never truly left her, and she is determined to make her revitalized fantasy a reality.
“I thought it was a childish dream,” Fruchey said. “I wanted to be a psychologist for a long time until one of my friends talked me into opening my own bakery and pursuing my passions.”
Driven by her passion for making delicious baked goods, Fruchey is devoted to developing her skills in the craft through SHS’ Hospitality Management pathway in hopes of opening a bakery in the future.
Her love for baking blossomed long before she stepped foot in SHS. When she was young, she could often be found helping her mother in the kitchen making cakes and brownies from box mixes.
As she got older, she let her creativity take charge by making homemade recipes from scratch. These recipes, along with the ones she creates now, are often inspired by her grandmother’s baking, and she sometimes tweaks the ingredients for a personal touch.
Now, she enjoys making a variety of indulgent sweet treats for her friends and loved ones.
“I love to make cookies. I make them for everybody,” Fruchey said. “I have this really good recipe that everybody just loves.”
She often brings cookies to opening nights of school plays, much to the appreciation of many of her classmates who participate in theater alongside her.
One of those classmates, sophomore and close friend of Fruchey’s, Brooklyn Deckard, says she is always amazed by Fruchey’s ability to make such delicious desserts.
“Her baking is very appealing to the eye, (and) it’s always really sweet,” Deckard said. “It’s like, ‘oh my gosh wow, my best friend just (baked) this, and it tastes so good.’”
Even within the walls of SHS she never stays out of the kitchen for long, and she continues to build her skills. The Hospitality Management pathway allows her to learn new techniques and experiment with equipment she doesn’t have access to at home.
This class has also exposed her to a more collaborative style of baking.
“You’ll fill out a whole sheet to figure out who’s doing what, like if you’re going to be setting the timer… or mixing or chopping,” Fruchey said.
With this additional experience, her vision for what she wants to do with her fervent passion for the culinary arts has never been clearer.
She aspires to go to Edmond College in Seattle to study culinary arts and then eventually save up money to open a bakery of her own.
“I talk to everybody about (owning my own bakery). I’m very goal-oriented,” Fruchey said. “It’s all I really think about, and everything I do, I do to work towards it.”
