About Kelly and GSG

You might be familiar with the story of Cinderella, and if so, you "get" the importance of her glass slipper!  We ALL can use the magic of a Fairy Godmother once in a while... whether its in your daily routine or for a special day!  Glass Slipper Gourmet is dedicated to providing you with an experience that will leave you feeling like a Princess (or Prince!) 

As a small business owner and professional, it is my top goal to provide exceptional, personal and memorable service in both my Personal Chef Business and Wedding/Special Occasion Cakes business.  My dream is to bring a little more "magic" into your culinary lives… with a wave of my whisk!

As a native Bay Area gal, I have enjoyed the local bounty all of my life. We are so lucky to have such a wide variety of fresh foods and local farmers to supply the nourishment we so need, for body and soul.  I truly believe in eating seasonally, and as fresh and wholesome as possible. I believe that balance is the essential ingredient of healthy diet and a healthy life!  And, to always leave room for cake! 

I LOVE food!  I love reading about food, trying new ingredients, experiencing different restaurants and cuisines. I even dream about food!  I love keeping up on the latest cake trends and decorating techniques, and adding to the ever-growing cake portfolio. 

When it comes to sweet stuff (and aren't we all always thinking of the sweets, hu?) ... I like to play around with creative combinations and flavors that will be unforgettable. I absolutely love to hear "Wow, I've never had a cake like THAT before". Yes, I offer some traditional flavors, but the unique flavors are the ones that I find most personally satisfying. "Honey Bee Mine" (the signature GSG flavor) was inspired during one of those "wake up in the middle of the night and write this down" moments, and it's one of my all-time faves.  

The sweet in my life (cake making) gets balanced with the savory aspect of my Personal Chef cooking, with which I have the pleasure to work with families in getting healthy, delicious meals on the table... relieving a burden and creating a pleasure. I would say my "best" menus are classic American, and Italian, but I enjoy experimenting with all cuisines and flavors.

My culinary career began when my mom gave me the gift of some weekend cooking classes. As a culinary enthusiast herself, she really hoped I would "get into" cooking. Well, I was hooked! I enrolled at California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA, from which I graduated in 1998 with honors on the President’s List for Academic Achievement. Its hard to believe that was over 20 years ago! I guess as they say, if you love what you do... it's not "work'!

In those early years I worked as a line cook, pastry chef, Sorority house chef (that was unique!) and a baker/cake decorator in a retail setting.  All of this prepared me for the responsibility and capability of owning my own business, as Chef /Cake Designer for Glass Slipper Gourmet, opened in 2003, and I never looked back!

I set up my business in a way that i can stay connected to both savory and sweet cooking. It came about when I (honestly) could not decide which direction I wanted to take my culinary career in.  Typically, a chef will either choose a “hot food” career or a “pastry” career. I love both and didn’t want to choose one over the other, darn it!  

Also, I did NOT want the traditional restaurant or retail bakery storefront, each of which come with their own unique life-style and limitations, a bit of a "disconnect" from your customers, and a huge risk of " career burnout".  So…I created my own business where I have the pleasure of spending  half of my time as a Personal Chef, cooking for families in their own homes, creating delicious and nutritious meals for real-life people; 

and  half my time as a "Caker", designing and bringing to life beautiful edible art to celebrate life’s most precious moments.  With the intentional choice to limit the number of orders I accept,  I have the flexibility in my schedule to actually spend time getting to know my customer and what is important to them.  The "cake tasting appointment" is one of my favorite parts of the interaction as we have time to chat and laugh, and get to know one another. This is extremely rewarding to me, personally, and I think it has given longevity to my career.  And, from what I've been told, the personal attention I'm able to give is one of the most unique aspects of my business and most appreciated by my customers. :) 

What more could I ask for?  I say I have the best of both worlds and am truly lucky to absolutely love what I do for a living!  It's a perfect balance of two cooking worlds and works great for me in keeping me from never, ever, getting bored!  It’s like icing on the cake!I
 

I currently live in the East Bay and am head over heals in love with John, my husband of 26 years. We live with our tuxedo cat “Dennis”, who absolutely has us smitten and pretty much runs the household!  Being a "solopreneur" (wearing ALL the hats) keeps me quite busy, but in my spare time I enjoy Crossfit, knitting, reading, snow skiing, sewing, trips to Tahoe and... naps when I can get ‘em! 

So, let's get started on YOUR "happily ever after"!  Lets talk about how GSG can give you the Cinderella story you dream of!  

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