I forgot about my dream of baking as I started to get older, never thinking about it again until I was 20 years old. I opened my first bag of flour on August 19th, 2020. I was baking everything I possibly could, testing what I was capable of. I continued to grow with my baking, but I was also hiding an eating disorder that followed me from my childhood. On a random weekday I confessed to my mother that I was losing my battle to bulimia. It was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I was 22, in rehab for an eating disorder, and missing my life. During my stay, I remember mourning my baking future. I mean, how could I continue to bake and get well from an eating disorder? It took me a little over 2 years to recover from my eating disorder. During that time, I completely abandoned baking. My stand mixer was gathering dust, and I only turned on my oven for frozen pizzas.

When I turned “the big 25”, I found Taira again. Baking Taira. Pastry Chef Taira. I am finally in a place where I have a healthy relationship with food. I can create again!

Now that I have recovered from my eating disorder, I am devoted to taking care of baby Taira and nurturing her dreams. Through the power of creation, I am offering love, joy, and healing. A sense of purpose. Love that has been handed down generation over generation, starting with my great grandmother. Hazel House Patisserie is for me. It is for my mother. It is for my great grandmother, Hazel.