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CPA: Certified Pastry Aficionado

About Me

As Featured In:

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 a regional controller at a large paper company in Atlanta, GA. I live with my husband, Tyson, and my two children, who are my favorite taste testers. 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.

Sharon And Her Husband Tyson, Next To Her Two Kittens.

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.

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Here are some pictures from our wedding (taken by Carrie Joy Photography):

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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:

  • Facebook
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  • Foodgawker

Or shoot me an email: [email protected]

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).

Hi, my name is Sharon. I’m an accountant by day, risk-taking baker and food enthusiast by night. Come join me as I share my favorite recipes and test out new ones along the way!

ORDER MY NEW COOKBOOK NOW!

photo of entertaining made easy cookbook available for preorder now

fall flavors

stacked maple walnut cookies on a red orange napkin and one cookie with a bite removed

Maple Walnut Cookies

close up of pretzel bread pudding slice on a plate in a pool of whiskey sauce

Pretzel Bread Pudding

Cinnamon Latte Whoopie Pies

shortcut apple strudel on a marble serving platter cut down the middle to expose the apple center with vanilla ice cream on top and a fork in the foreground

Shortcut Apple Strudel

pumpkin cinnamon pull apart loaf with a center slice visable

Pumpkin Cinnamon Pull Apart Loaf

zoomed in shot of cut up apple cider caramels

Apple Cider Caramels

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fall flavors

zoomed in shot of a bowl of sweet potato gnocchi, shot from a side angle

Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Browned Butter

overhead shot of slices of pear coffee cake

Pear Coffee Cake

close up of a slice of pumpkin crumb cake separated from the rest of the cake but not on a plate yet

Pumpkin Crumb Cake

close up of potato dinner rolls on a wooden round serving platter

Potato Dinner Rolls

picture of apple pecan farro salad served on a white plate

Apple Pecan Farro Salad

 

Watermelon basil lemonade is homemade lemonade swe Watermelon basil lemonade is homemade lemonade sweetened with basil sugar and fresh watermelon juice.

To find this recipe, search for watermelon basil lemonade on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

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these Hawaiian BBQ chicken skewers are loaded with these Hawaiian BBQ chicken skewers are loaded with BBQ chicken, pineapple chunks, ham, and red onion and grilled to perfection.

To find this recipe, search for Hawaiian BBQ chicken skewers on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

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Buffalo chicken sliders have buffalo chicken nugge Buffalo chicken sliders have buffalo chicken nuggets loaded into soft sweet rolls and topped with homemade blue cheese sauce.

To find this recipe, search for buffalo chicken sliders on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

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Schnitzel sub sandwich has crispy, thin fried chic Schnitzel sub sandwich has crispy, thin fried chicken tenders placed in a hoagie bun, along with a squeeze of lemon juice, baby arugula, and shaved Parmesan cheese to make a new take on a chicken tender sub.

To find this recipe, search for Schnitzel sub sandwich on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

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Texas sheet cake is a thin, chocolate sheet cake w Texas sheet cake is a thin, chocolate sheet cake with a layer of chocolate icing on top. The ratio of cake to icing is perfection!

To find this recipe, search for Texas sheet cake on certifiedpastryaficionado.com

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