My mom was the baker in my large Italian family, every Christmas eve she made her famous cheesecake...she provided the birthday cake for all of our family parties...i used to wake up on saturday mornings to the sounds of the mixer and begged to lick the bowl when she was finished. I have always had an interest for baking but it has grown only since i lost my mom to leukemia when i was 16. I feel that this passion is something her and i shared. I am continually trying to better my baking and decorating skills. I have no training just whatever i observed as a child. My mom used to say that baking calmed her nerves...i find myself at a point in my life where i need something...