Attending the Professional Cooking, Baking and Service program at Technology Center of DuPage, junior Julie Kurz has fueled her passion for baking since she was around seven or eight years old.

“I enjoy doing it and I feel so energized [when baking], it’s like my stress reliever when I’m upset or bored,” Kurz said. “I also think about how when I’m done, I’ll get to give it to people and then they’ll be happy too.”

After high school Kurz wants to travel to Europe and get an apprenticeship in different bakeries. Currently, she is not planning on going to traditional college but has considered attending Culinary Institute of America or Johnson and Wales University.

“There have been times when I think ‘Wait, do I even want to do this? Do I want to do this as a career?’ but then I realize this is what I actually like to do,” Kurz said.

She is hoping her passion for baking will lead her to eventually owning her own bakery or cafe. Kurz wants it to have a home-like atmosphere and possibly be located in France as it is known as “pastry central.”

Kurz has taken Culinary 1,2, and 3 at Naperville Central and is planning on taking food science next year. Here she elaborates on the differences between baking and cooking.

“Baking is more of a science, and with cooking you can experiment a lot more,” Kurz said. “If you’re making a stir fry, you can taste it [and adjust accordingly], but with baking you have a set recipe and it’s like a chemistry where you have to have certain amounts of everything to make to go together. If you mismeasure, things will be off, so you need to get most things very precise.”

She first got inspired to start cooking and baking when she was a little kid and recalls she didn’t like other people making food for her.

“So when I started learning how to make my own food, I just didn’t stop and I started making it for other people too,” Kurz said.

Baking has changed Kurz as a person and how others see her.

“It gives me an identity,” Kurz said. “Especially freshman, sophomore year when ever I came to school with that bag, people knew that I brought goodies. I became known as the girl who likes to bake things.”