“I was a ‘career-changer,’” explains Kate Ray. “I started out working in a car wash. I worked my way up to the corporate level and then I got bored. I’d sit at my desk all day thinking about what I was going to cook that night.”

“Finally, I made the decision to quit my job and move to New Hampshire to go to the Atlantic Culinary Academy. Although my passion is baking, I made a conscious decision to study savory [food] and pastry [sweets]. I wanted to be skilled in both types of cooking,” she says.

Cooking Around the Clock
When she’s not working, she enjoys—cooking. That’s right. Her fiancée is also a cook so they enjoy cooking together. Candy is one of her favorite things to make. “I make candy all the time, but I don’t eat it. I give it to my friends. That makes them mad sometimes if they’re trying to lose weight,” she says with a laugh.

“Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of my off time experimenting with the sugar replacement called Splenda. Cooking is a science. If you take one ingredient out and put in another, you have to see how it affects the chemical make-up. So far, it’s worked great in everything I’ve tried it in. I’m excited about it because it is helping me improve the dining experience for people who have diabetes.”

A Perfect Fit
If Kate sounds passionate about her job, she is. “I really enjoy working at Brooksby Village. It’s a great community. The people who live here are amazing. They are so open and friendly. The staff is also great. It’s a wonderful place to work,” she adds.