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Welcome to Certified Pastry Aficionado, or CPA for short. Thanks for stopping by! My name is Sharon and I am, yes, you guessed it…a CPA. That stands for Certified Public Accountant. I spent a few years as a public accountant, and now I currently work as an analyst at a large paper company in Atlanta, GA. I live with my husband, Tyson, who is my number one taste tester. We have the sweetest little kitties, Autumn and Dorito. I take way too many pictures of them, but, in my defense, they are cute wayyyy too many times.
About the Blog
I’ve been baking since I can remember. I actually still have the first cookbook I ever received when I was about 10 years old. Ever since then, I’ve been the happiest in the kitchen. I’d use any opportunity to make things for friends and family – Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, birthdays, and even to impress my coworkers at a new job.
When I first starting working at a public accounting firm after college, I would bring in treats for all my coworkers to munch on. Being a single girl in the city, it gave me a reason to bake tons of stuff without gaining thousands of pounds, plus baking was the best stress-reliever. A coworker suggested that I blog about the things I make and give tips to bakers just like me. And, alas, the blog was born!
On the blog, you can find anything and everything that I love to eat. I never post a recipe that I am not whole-heartedly obsessed with. Therefore, most of the recipes you’ll find are indulgent and rich and even sinful. This includes: yummy pasta dishes, comforting soups, all things sweet, boozy drinks, and, most of all, carbs. This doesn’t mean I don’t post healthy food, but flavor comes first. If it ain’t yummy, I ain’t sharing it.
I make a mixture of easy and challenging recipes. But I pride myself on the helpful tips I give at the end of every post to encourage cooks and bakers of all strengths to give these recipes a try. No one should ever feel that they’re not experienced enough to make the food they crave. So my goal with each post is to empower people to give the recipe a try.
And don’t worry; not everything I make will test your baking limits. My husband’s favorite things are chocolate chip cookies and cinnamon anything so I will be working on the classics just as much : )
I also love taking suggestions! I’ll bake anything and everything. So please…send me any recipes you’d like to see me make and I’ll document every step of the way!
More About Me
I’m a graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!). I moved to Atlanta after graduation for work from sunny ole Florida I met my amazing husband shortly after and we were married in 2015. We are two goofballs in love and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I probably use more exclamation points and emoticons than a teenage girl, I spend way too much time stalking food pics on Instagram, I love to spend time on the couch, binge-watching Netflix, and I have the compulsive-need to walk down every aisle of the grocery store.
Here are some pictures from our wedding (taken by Carrie Joy Photography):
Atlanta is a mecca for Southern food. I was so pleasantly surprised to find some of the best food that I’ve ever had right here in Atlanta. You’ll find me document a lot of my food journeys on my Instagram, as well posts about my baking journeys. Check me out!
You can also follow me on:
Or shoot me an email: [email protected]aficionado.com
Favorite foods: rustic pizza, s’mores, macarons (especially pistachio), blackberries, almond croissants, salted caramel, hazelnuts, a good steak, anything with vinegar, goat cheese, coffee, chocolate chip cookies, most types of cobbler, Oreos (NOT double stuff).
Least favorite foods (and even foods I despise!): fennel, olives, artichoke hearts, black licorice, cooked broccoli, canned green beans, chocolate and orange paired together, tea, cardamom, desserts made with florals (sorry rosewater).
