Heather Goris is a unique and creative woman who is very committed to the life of baking and decorating desserts. Goris is 25 years old and lives in Grand Island, New York. Ever since her early teens, she has had an interest in baking and would even bake cakes for her family parties. Not knowing what she wanted to do for a career, Goris decided to go to school at the Niagara Falls Culinary Institute after graduating high school. After getting her associates degree she made the spontaneous decision to move to Tennessee with a close friend and start her career as a baker/cake decorator. Goris worked at a bakery called the “Puffy Muffin” for a year before returning to Buffalo to work at a local bakery located in Amherst, New York.
Now you might think baking/decorating can’t be hard, right? Well, Goris explains very thoroughly as to why that statement is completely false. “Patience is definitely a must when it comes to the decorating aspect of making cakes,” Goris says. There are so many other skills that are needed to bake/decorate desserts that are rarely brought to anyone’s attention. Not many think about the patience aspect, but you also have to take into consideration that you need steady hands. This isn’t brain surgery or anything, so why would steady hands be a key component to decorating cakes? Goris explains that the slightest bit of shakiness in the hands while applying icing to cake can ruin all progress of the project you are working on.
Another skill that no one really takes into consideration are math skills. MATH?! Measurements are essential to the baking aspect of cakes. Goris explains that she once rushed through a recipe due to procrastination, and the cake came out awful because she added a little more sugar than she should have. Make sure to accurately measure out your ingredients!
Goris had some interesting things to say about her favorite desserts to decorate and bake. Talking with an experienced baker, you would think to hear that the most favorite dessert to bake/decorate would be some sort of intricate design on a three-tiered cake. Surprisingly, Goris' favorite dessert to bake is just a simple chocolate chip cookie. A chocolate chip cookie? Something so easy? She had a humorous perspective stating, “Everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie, you know? It’s something you can bake as a stress reliever, but yet makes everyone happy to eat.”
Not many would think that such a simple dessert would be a favorite for an experienced baker, but if thought about it makes absolute sense. If you can bake something as simple as cookies and it would still have the same result of happiness for customers as a difficult cake, wouldn’t you find joy in baking them?
While baking is a passion for Goris, there were times where she felt like she was truly going to give up. She recalls when she was tasked to bake and decorate one of the most difficult cakes she’s had to create. The cake was for a Buffalo Bills football game, and this particular cake had so many designs, it took hours to make. Goris had to redecorate the cake six times due to messing up the smaller details of the cake. “I thought that day would be the end of my baking career,” Goris said. “But, once I finished the cake and saw the customer’s reaction, it reminded me why I love my job so much.” She reminds us that while baking can be a difficult job, it is fulfilling to see that you made other people happy with your work.
Amanda Bartle, Goris' coworker, had a comment about her work ethic. “When Heather gets into a project, she puts her all into it,” stated Bartle. “Not only that, she is extremely helpful to people like me who don’t have as much experience.”
Bartle has worked with Goris for a year so she can relate to the struggles of being a baker as well. Like Goris, Bartle agrees that it can be a stressful job that you can have trouble with but the end result is completely rewarding.
