Carole Walter - About Me

About Me

Ever since I was a little girl, not much more than three years old, the sweet smells that came from the oven fascinated me and today I am no different.

Rather than spend time playing with friends, I perched myself on the kitchen table to watch my grandmother mix up a batch of batter and place it in the oven. When she would take it out, I was amazed at the delicious looking treat that she set before my eyes.

When I was nine I branched out on my own. I dumped some ingredients into a mixing bowl in an attempt to bake my first cake; it was chocolate of course. To my amazement it came out! I phoned my grandmother and happily told her that next Friday night for our traditional Sabbath dinner, I was going to bring dessert. The following Friday morning I dumped my ingredients again in to a bowl, and to my chagrin, I had one whopping failure! Teary eyed I came to grandma's house empty handed and from that day forward, I had the greatest respect for a recipe.

Recipes used for cooking are purely guidelines for you to arrive at the finished product. A little more of this or that often does not alter a dish. In fact, sometimes you can create something even better. In baking and making desserts it’s a different matter. Ever since the lesson I learned with baking my first chocolate cake, my philosophy has been to start with a recipe, measure my ingredients accurately, and carefully follow the instructions.

Because of my un-ending curiosity as to why ingredients work together, today I focus not only on following the recipe, but also exploring the techniques used within the recipe. As a result, I constantly ask myself "is there a better way to do this"? To guide you toward better baking, my discoveries are shared with you.

As a teacher, I believe that once you understand the techniques, you will have more confidence to broaden your horizons and make wonderful creations of your own.

Professionally, I have over 35 years of teaching experience specializing in technique and "hands-on" classes. I have taught at notable cooking schools in the metropolitan area and throughout the United States. Some of those include:

The Kitchen at Bed Bath & Beyond
Kings Cooking Studios (developed the Mastery of Baking Diploma Series)
The New School Culinary Arts Center (NYC)
The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE)
The James Beard Foundation Workshop Series
Sur la Table Culinary Schools
World Pastry Forum

My high-profile media appearances on major network television, satellite media tours, and radio include: Sara Moulton's, "Cooking Live", Fox 5 Midday News, Good Morning America, as well as other stations throughout the country. I was also was a regular guest on Arthur Schwartz's WOR-AM Radio "Food Talk" and on Martha Stewart’s Sirius Radio program. I have also authored numerous magazine articles for national publications including Fine Cooking, Cooking Light, and Dessert Professional (formerly Chocolatier).

I am a Certified Culinary Professional (CCP) and charter member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) with 15 years service to culinary scholarships. In the spring of 2007 the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) nominated me for “Teacher of the Year”.

In addition, I am a foundling member of The Bakers Dozen East and a past president of The New York Association Culinary Professionals (NYACP). I was honored at a benefit at Windows of the World in 1999 for "Outstanding Commitment to the Culinary Arts.” I have served as a consultant to several baking and food manufacturers along with research and development of prototypes of new products.

My passion for baking is rivaled only by my passion for teaching, both backed by a lifetime of dedication to my craft.