Niagara College Canada

Phoebe, who is just 22, gained the confidence to launch her home-based business after successfully completing Academic Upgrading courses at Niagara College and starting the college’s Baking and Pastry Arts program.

But her route to Niagara College has been a rather unusual one. Raised in Mississauga, an only child, Phoebe was home schooled. She has always loved food and cooking and some of her fondest childhood memories are of cooking with her grandmother. “My parents bought me one of those toy kitchens when I was little,” Phoebe says. “I loved it. And my grandmother was always in the kitchen. She was my main inspiration, and she was really good at baking. I especially remember her homemade bread.” This homemade bread is a Filipino specialty called Pandesol.

As Phoebe began researching college programs, she discovered Niagara College’s Baking and Pastry Arts program. “I was really impressed with Niagara College’s program,” Phoebe explains. “The courses in the program seemed tailored for creating pastry chefs who not only can work for a restaurant but also can start their own business.”

Once Phoebe decided that Niagara College’s Baking and Pastry Arts program was the right fit for her, college staff recommended that because of her home-schooling background, she would benefit from Academic Upgrading. Phoebe and her parents moved to the Niagara area so she would be closer to the college.

She started taking two English classes and a Math class in January 2019 and finished up these courses in the spring of 2019. The one-on-one format of these in-person classes was a great fit for her. “It was very similar to having a tutor, almost,” Phoebe says. “It was a good halfway between actually attending classes in college and a good bridge between being home schooled and entering college.” The flexible schedule was also a big advantage.

Successfully completing these courses was a great confidence booster for Phoebe. “I was pretty intimidated about starting college. It’s more intimidating than high school was. In high school, if I fail a test, it’s not such a big deal, but in college it could jeopardize my career plans,” she says. “These courses helped me realized that I didn’t need to worry about failing. As long as I worked hard and studied, I would be fine.”

Her instructors were very supportive, Phoebe adds. “They were always ready to answer questions. They made you feel like they wanted you to succeed.”

Branne Plitnikas, who was Phoebe’s Math instructor, describes Phoebe as an incredibly hardworking and dedicated student with excellent attendance. “It was a joy to have her in my math class,” Plitnikas says. “She became much more socially engaged as the term progressed, and when we discovered a common love of baking, I could see her alight with a passion that she brought forth with tips and stories and even sharing some of her baking with me.  It was wonderful to see the expression of that excitement and learn things from this amazing talent at the same time.”

In fact, when Phoebe decided to start her own baking business, Plitnikas was her very first customer.

After completing her Academic Upgrading courses, Phoebe applied to and was accepted into Niagara College’s one-year Baking and Pastry Arts Certificate program, which she began in January 2020.  Just two months into her first term, the pandemic hit and classes moved to remote learning, but Phoebe was able to successfully complete the first term on-line.  Her second term was deferred to the fall of 2020, but Phoebe decided to wait until the next offering, and will start her final term in May 2021.

Niagara College’s Baking and Pastry Arts program is delivered at the 125-acre Daniel J. Patterson Campus in Niagara-on-the-Lake. The program is located in the college’s Canadian Food and Wine Institute and taught by word-class chef faculty using state-of-the-art equipment. The learning environment includes an environmentally controlled chocolate and sugar lab.

Phoebe particularly enjoyed both the lab and baking classes. “I especially liked the lab classes where I could be very hands on, handling equipment I had not used before and baking things I had not made before,” she says. She is very excited to learn about working with chocolate when she resumes her program studies.

Phoebe has put her time out of school to good use, launching her own baking business, Royal Icing, in February 2021. “I had read articles about home-based businesses,” Phoebe says. “The idea really appealed to me because there wouldn’t be as much to worry about in terms of expenses, especially as someone just starting up. I can offer products to order, so there’s no food waste.”

Promoting Royal Icing (named for a specialty icing that dries solid and shiny) primarily through a Facebook business page, Facebook Marketplace, and Instagram, has allowed Phoebe to slowly build her business. She specializes in baked goods with a twist, and currently offers a variety of baked products such as crème brule cream puffs, pear and sage and strawberry and pistachio galettes, and of course bread made from her grandmother’s recipe.

Currently, with the assistance of her parents, Phoebe delivers her pre-ordered baked goods throughout the Niagara Region (delivery in Niagara Falls is free, with a fee for delivery outside of Niagara Falls). The business has become a true family affair, with Phoebe’s mother helping with dishes and preparation of the delivery containers for Phoebe’s baked treats, and both parents accompanying her on her delivery rounds.

The pandemic, Phoebe says, has helped her business in some ways, as people have become more comfortable with ordering food for delivery, and beautiful desserts are a way for people to treat themselves during difficult times.

Phoebe plans to continue operating her business while she completes her final term of school. When the pandemic ends, she would like to sell her baked treats at local farmer’s markets and eventually purchase a food truck.

Phoebe couldn’t be happier with her decision to undertake Academic Upgrading at Niagara College, which was the starting point of her dream of operating her own business. Her advice to others who might be nervous about Academic Upgrading: “Don’t hesitate. It was a great experience.”