When I look back on how my love of baking began, I’m instantly transported to my childhood home and my mom’s dream kitchen, designed with cooking, baking and candy making in mind. 

For breads and pastries, my dad installed a built-in butcher block, and for confections, he added an inset slab of marble. My mom "Glo" was the pastry chef of the house, and I was her sous chef. 

Pie was her specialty, and whenever she made one, she always made extra dough for me to make tartlets. If she made peanut brittle, I assisted with pulling it until it was see-through. When the deep fryer came out for rosette production, I was there with the batter and iron. My mom was a patient and trusting teacher, and for that I am grateful because for over ten years I have strived to emulate her sensibilities when teaching my own students at Edmonds College.

​After graduating from pastry school in 1999, I worked in the catering industry for several years, then in 2012 I began teaching in the Baking and Pastry Arts program at Edmonds College (where I still teach), and in 2017 I started my own home-based bakery business, KDJ's The Bakerie, LLC. 

​The Bakerie has been around the Kenmore area since early 2017, but recently I have found a new pop-up home next to Cairn Brewing called Kenmore Food Truck Corner where I get to connect to neighbors and friends. You can also find me at the Kenmore Farmers Market and at the Kirkland Wednesday Market on Wednesday afternoons during the summer months at and the occasional and spectacular Making Local Market in downtown Bothell.

​In this post-pandemic era, small businesses are finding creative ways of reaching customers, which is why I've decided to put more time, effort and love into this boutique cottage business. 

​Thanks for stopping by my website! 

​Karen  Jenkins