From a spectator to passionate competitor, senior Madison Rose has developed a sweet spot for baked goods. 

Rose has come a long way from the early days of her baking career as an inexperienced student in middle school. She was able to quickly evolve from a novice that just tagged along with her parents, to someone with an individual stirring love for sweets who now participates in baking competitions. .

“When I was young and didn’t really know what I was doing.” Rose said. “I used to bake with my parents all the time. But now that I’m older, I just do it on my own.”

Rose’s sibling, Ethan Rose, looks back fondly at his sister’s enthusiasm for her craft.

“She definitely bakes for fun a lot at home,” Ethan said. 

Today, Madison continues to do what she loves. Her baking doubles as both a stressor and a delicious form of stress relief.

“I would [bake] a lot, and I still [bake] a lot now… instead of homework I would bake something to procrastinate.” Madison said.

Her creations are nothing short of unique, as Madison often experiments with different measurements and designs. Although she doesn’t have a 100% success rate, the smaller failures only encourage her to keep trying. Madison sees every trial as another opportunity to show off her artistry.

Madison brings more than just her passion to the kitchen. More recently, her skills have given her the confidence to step out of her comfort zone and participate in competitions.

As part of her competitive baking emergence, Madison’s first competition was at the Placer County Fair.

“When I would go through I would always see the baking exhibits, and I thought, ‘That looks really cool.’,” Madison said.

Her attempt paid off. Madison came away from the competition with a first place ribbon after making mint cookies n’ cream cupcakes in edible flower pots.