WAC Local Artist Profile by Esmé Stevens
Shea Stevens is a local high school student with Classical Conversations, a Classical Christian homeschool program. As a culinary artist, she finds her joy in the kitchen. She focuses on not only the taste of her treats but also the health aspect of them. All of her recipes use organic ingredients, baked with love and care.
“Baking is both therapeutic and fun for me, I like to focus on creating healthier recipes equally as tasty as the original ones, so that I can enjoy sweets guilt free!” she states. With a rising number of individuals going gluten free and or vegan, Shea has also found successful substitutes for her recipes. An example of this includes applesauce in place of eggs, grain free flours such as almond and coconut, as well as coconut oil or vegan oil based dairy free butter instead of regular butter. She also often uses coconut sugar as a healthy alternative for regular cane sugar. With hopes to create her own bakery someday, experimenting has become her sole focus as she continues to bake to her heart’s content.
Shea’s passion for baking began from the moment she could hold a mixing spoon—she was 8 years old in the photo included here. She recalls the many mornings flipping pancakes and making blueberry muffins with her sister and mother. As she explains, “My mother has supported me my whole life, not just through baking but in every aspect. The smile that appears on her face when the house is filled with the comforting smell of my chocolate chip cookies brings me a sense of reassurance.” Shea’s favorite part of baking is the joy it brings to her family, friends, and anyone who takes a bite of her sweet treats.
When Shea is not baking she is researching new ways to improve her healthy habits, and expand her knowledge in psychology and business through podcasts, books, and articles. With these goals in mind and resources at hand she wishes to make the world a brighter place with her baking, each day bringing her works of art closer for the world to taste!
Esmé Stevens is a senior in the Kolbe Academy Homeschool Program.
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