Influenced by his mom and grandmothers, cooking interested Ricky early in life. At age 11, he enrolled in cake decorating classes and knew instantly that this was going to be a lifelong passion. He worked his way up from bakery apprentice to Executive Pastry Chef, eventually becoming a Corporate Executive Chef at several posh hotels. As his skills and confidence blossomed, his creativity took flight, even fulfilling a lifelong dream of building a life-sized Gingerbread House! By day, Ricky works as a chef consultant, helping restaurateurs develop best practices. But, his whimsical culinary style and community involvement has made Ricky a local celebrity in Washington state where he lives with his partner Andrew and two adopted rescue dogs, Ponzu and Gandalf. Follow Ricky on Instagram.
Growing up on an Air Force Base, Monica showed such an affinity for biochemistry, that one of her first paying jobs was at NASA. Her passion for art eventually won out, leading her to earn a MFA in Fine Art from California Institute of the Arts. Monica applied her artistic talents to baking and cookie decorating, launching two online sweet shops -- Pent Up Cookie Company and Mack and Jane. Her baking style is less scientific and more intuitive, producing customizable treats that are as fun and bright as her smile. But Monica’s greatest source of joy is her family, including husband Josh, teenage daughter Jordyn and new baby Aspen.
Since Cassie was up late grading papers, Sam brings Cassie breakfast in bed and gives her a kiss. Cassie feels the whole teaching experience went by too fast as she was just getting started.
Are you a fan of the Fixer Upper Mysteries series? Enjoy more of Kate Carlisle’s storytelling with the first chapter of her book “This Old Homicide: A Fixer Upper Mystery.”
