CAROCP

Karren Montague-Wilde

Karren’s Specialty Cakes and Confections, Portland, OR

Karren Montague-Wilde, ROP Culinary Arts
Former Future Homemakers of America FHA/HERO Culinary Champion of California, Karren Montague-Wilde, a 1999 graduate of Pleasant Valley High School (Butte County) and Priscilla Burns’ ROP Culinary Arts II class has opened and is operating her own bakery.  Karren’s Specialty Cakes is fully licensed as a Domestic Bakery.

Karren opened her bakery in 2006 and specializes in custom cakes. She decided to stay in Oregon because the “business licensing and taxation rules were advantageous to her business model.”  When asked what she liked about her ROP class she said “Excellence was expected, nothing was dumbed down. The class “instilled confidence in job skills, encouraged competition and leadership and most of all FUN, FUN, and FUN. Coming out of high school with marketable skills gave me job opportunities that exceeded my peers. I also came away with a pretty clear idea of what I wanted to do as a career.”

Karren followed High School attending the Western Culinary Institute, Le Cordon Bleu in Portland, Oregon from 1999 to 2000. The school provided her a solid foundation in the culinary sciences, helping her to understand how ingredients interact with one another. This knowledge aids in the custom flavoring and recipe creation that clients regularly require.  After graduating with High Honors, Karren was able to develop her specialty while interning in the patisserie department of the Westin Maui Resort.

Pictures are samples of Karren’s Work!

For additional information on the Butte County ROP, contact Sandy Walburn at swalburn@bcoe.org