about maria

Hey y'all, I'm Maria, the owner/Pastry Chef of Cereal Killer Bakery! I grew up homeschooled in Wisconsin as the only girl out of my parents' five kids, so my parents had their hands full trying to keep us all happy and healthy. Breakfast cereal was quickly everyones' favorite as it was cost effective and delicious (obvi). Our kitchen was always stocked with the OG cereals and my dad bought upwards of seven gallons of milk A WEEK! We were pretty much singlehandedly funding the dairy business. When I wasn't doing schoolwork, annoying my brothers, or stuffing my face with cereal, I was watching The Food Network. With my favorite show being Cupcake Wars, my creativity in the kitchen sparked from a young age. 

During high school in Gainesville, FL (Go Gators!), I attended an Elite Top 50 Hospitality School, The Institute of Culinary Arts, taught by ACF's 2021 Chef Educator of the Year award recipient, Chef Pam Bedford.  After graduating at just 17 years old, I began studies at one of the very best culinary schools in the United States, Johnson and Wales University. After completing my freshman year in Miami, FL I moved to The Queen City. With hard work and high ambitions, by the age of eighteen I was already working as a professional Pastry Chef and developing my own menu items at a 4.7 star restaurant and Charlotte's only AAA Four Diamond Restaruant, The McNinch House. From there, I worked at an authentic Italian bakeshop, Villani's. When my love for wacky flavors came out again, I began working at Cupcrazed Cakery in Fort Mill, SC. After graduating with my Associates in Baking & Pastry Arts that year, I earned the amazing opportunity to move to Boone, NC for a semester to lead Cupcrazed Cakery's new bakery opening. 

During those experiences, I learned I wanted to set my sights above management and towards entrepreneurial ventures. Now, I'm back in The Queen City studying Food & Beverage Entrepreneurship with a minor in Baking & Arts at Johnson And Wales. 

I'm so excited to keep learning during my senior year and use that knowledge to become a more killer Pastry Chef! Now enough about me, lets eat some cookies!