In just two short years, Baking and Pastry Arts student Abby Diedrich has truly stood out from the crowd here on campus.

Growing up in the small town of  Twin Lakes, Wis., Diedrich came to MATC seeking to expand her already notable expertise in baking and cake design. “I have always had a knack for cake decorating, which is what brought me into the baking career,” she stated in a recent interview.

Diedrich has only been working in professional kitchens for the past two years, but her impressive baking skills have been a long time in the making. She recalls frequently being recruited by her grandmother to assist in baking pies and molasses cookies back home during her childhood.

These recurrent lessons seemed to pay off! A dedicated member of the 4-H Youth Development Club, she has received four merit awards from the local county fair; the highest award for a project through the organization.

Her talents also reach beyond that of just her hometown, as she has also been making waves here on campus. Abby and fellow classmate Kelsey Combs took first place in the 2015 Five Star Cake Decorating Contest as well as third place in the Gingerbread House Contest (2014).

Her childhood on a dairy farm has instilled in her an appreciation for local ingredients, and she stresses the importance of sourcing food close to home.

“On [the Downtown] campus, both Cuisine and the 6th Street Café use local products as much as possible,” she pointed out. “I think that this trend should continue to spread worldwide. … I think it’s important for restaurants to support local farmers.”

Though it was her passion for cake decorating that directed her toward this career, Diedrich says that her time at MATC has inspired her to never stop growing and learning about what the rest of the field has to offer. “I’ve realized I want to do more than just cake decorating,” she noted. “As long as whatever I’m doing continues to challenge and excite me, I do not care where this degree takes me.”

Her remarkable works can be seen both in the 6th Street Café as well as at Bodi’s Bake Shop back home in Twin Lakes.