ABOUT THE BAKER

Gaining respect in a kitchen is a hard feat but gaining respect in the kitchen as a woman is, unfortunately, something even harder to do. At the young age of 18, Karen Kong had become one of Starbucks' youngest key holders and managers. After achieving that position and feeling like she wanted to expand her knowledge, she decided to go back to school and pursue her career in baking. With the conflict of schedule that comes with the early hours of a coffee shop, Karen needed something that will allow her busy body to be in school in the morning and pay for tuition in the evening. With this passion for cooking and baking in her heart, Butterblock's very first step was taken, unbeknownst to Karen of course.

Karen started her education and by day was a student and worked as a line cook at Joey's Crowfoot as the youngest girl to work their Alforno (Baking) station by night. Developing her skill set further and learning the discipline required to be in a fast paced, high pressure, atmosphere of a big kitchen, Karen's love for a dinner rush was born. Fast forward to post graduation from SAIT's Baking and Pastry Arts program, Karen established herself as a key component on Teatro's amazing team of cooks and bakers. She was given the task to lend a hand in the opening of EAT in Eighth Avenue Place and Alforno Bakery in the heart of Calgary's Eau Claire district. Although the locations were all successful, her passionate flame for baking was dimmed by the restrictions that came with working under rules and preset recipes.

With a handful of bakeries under her belt, it was time for her to explore the fruits of her labour by having the freedom to experiment with different recipes and stamp something as truly her own. Enter Butterblock. Creating an 81 layer croissant along with her delicious cookie recipes powered by the new freedom to explore different laminated dough recipes Karen was able to reignite her passion for what she loves. Baking with no restrictions.