Our Instructors
Learn from the best! The college is staffed with a team of highly skilled industry professionals who all share a passion for excellence in confectionary education.
Pastry & Baking Instructors
Baking & Pastry Cake Decorating & Design Seminar
Charmaine Baan
Charmaine Baan developed a great love for cooking early on and knew that she was meant to live her life in a professional kitchen. She showed an aptitude for pastry and baking while studying at the Stratford Chef’s School and shortly thereafter began working as an organic baker, specializing in artisan sourdoughs and whole grain breads. After graduating, she found her true passion working in the pastry kitchen of iconic Toronto restaurant, Susur. She followed that up with a stint as pastry chef of yet er local culinary darling, Splendido. It was around this time that she picked up an interest in cake design and was introduced to sugar work by talented pastry chef Norbert Maushagen. Through her classes, Charmaine continues to delve into the creative possibilities of sugar and all things sweet.
Charmaine teaches Costing Cakes, Preserves for Signature Cakes, Patisserie Style Cakes & Parisian Macaron.
MICHAEL SMITH
Michael began baking from a young age and towards the end of high school switched his focus from architecture to pastry and decided to enroll at the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa. After graduating, Michael worked at a renowned Italian pastry shop in Ottawa before moving to Toronto where he worked as a pastry chef at Summerhill Market. Michael has recently helped to open a bakery, called Bread-Stuff Bakery, specializing in local, organic, sourdough breads and baked goods. During his spare time he loves to experiment with artisan whole-grain sourdough breads and confectionary, as well as learning about food science.
Michael teaches Baking & Buttercream, Introduction to Baking, Baking for Allergies, Breakfast Pastries & Croquembouche and the Baking components of the Designer Cakes Certificate Programme.
Amanda Robinson
Amanda attended one of the only high schools in Ontario that taught sugarwork and graduated from the Baking Program with honours. She began as an apprentice for renowned pastry chef Norbert Maushagen straight out of high school and has received top graduate in the Baking Program at George Brown College. She now teaches full time at the College and creates custom wedding cakes for private clients.
Amanda teaches Sugarwork, the Sugarwork component of the Designer Cakes Certificate Programme, and our Baking and Decorating Classes.
Marisa Scibetta
Marisa was trained as a chef at the Fanshawe College Culinary Management program in London, Ontario, and obtained her Red Seal Certificate while working as an apprentice at Vineland Estates Winery. Her success as a chef eventually lead Marisa to the world of pastry and cake design, where she was drawn to the impressive works of cake art and wedding cake design. The amazing cake creations and impressive industry reputation led Marisa to the Bonnie Gordon School, where she was privileged to land to intern position for Bonnie in the Designer Cakes Certificate Programme. Her work at BGC has allowed her to gain the confidence and skills to launch MarissKiss Creative Cakes. In addition to working as an instructor.
Marisa later added to her repetoire by studying Chocolate Expertise with master pastry chef and chocolatier, Derrick Tu Tan Pho at Barry Callebaut Chocolate Academy.
Marisa teaches various decorating and baking classes, as well as specialty skills.
Marisa is currently taking cake orders!
For more information visit www.marisskiss.ca