We had the good fortune of connecting with Ireland Lindsay and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ireland, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
I’ve grown up in a family where cooking & baking are a way of life. I was reminded constantly from a young age that baking would always be something special to me. When I first started out in the kitchen I always found myself asking the same question, “why?”. Why do we add the ingredients that we do?” I was eager to learn the science behind baking, and why adding those ingredients made our food taste good. Over the past 4(ish) years that’s exactly what I’ve done. I spent countless days in the kitchen, testing, failing, testing some more, taking a bite of this, then a bite of that. Learning the purpose of each ingredient helped me to appreciate the process and become the baker I am today. I knew I had to share what I had learned with others. My hope was that helping people learn the “why” behind it all, this would help them bypass all those years of experience and head straight to becoming a truly skillful baker. Since 2020 was officially the year of being at home in our kitchens, It felt like the perfect time to start. In August of 2020, I launched my online baking school “Bake it Smarter” fully centered on helping aspiring bakers to become both confident, and accomplished in the kitchen.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I believe that food is art. Not necessarily even by the presentation but with crafting flavor and texture, that takes talent. I don’t know of a lot of other pastry chefs that focus solely on the science behind baking, constantly learning these things make me excited and now I have the opportunity to share it with others. I recently launched my website Irebakes.com, so now everyone can gain access to any tried and true recipes, and easily sign up for any classes I cannot tell you how many fails I have had, and even still have! Baking isn’t about perfection, it’s about having fun and learning along the way. I always try to remember to shake the dust off and keep going!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
In Atlanta, Proof bakery is a must. Their croissants are a crowd pleaser and the complexity of flavor from each pastry makes my heart sing. Krog Street market is a fun place to hang out and you can hop on the beltline and head over to ponce city market as well. I like to think of Piedmont Park as the “Central Park” of Atlanta. I love to grab a snack and head near the athletic corner for the best views.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents and family members are a major source of both support and inspiration. I also gain a lot of inspiration from other pastry chefs and bakeries too. Claire Saffitz and Zoe Bakes always craft with such talent and local bakeries like Proof bakery help my creativity flow.

Website: Irebakes.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/irebakes/
Facebook: https://business.facebook.com/Ireland-Bakes-107287824391176/?business_id=676422082436503&ref=bookmarks

Image Credits
Ireland Lindsay

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