Katrice Scott is a local creative mastermind in the kitchen! From edible art to platters and everything in between, Katrice creates a unique, personalized experience each customer remembers. Check out her story.
It’s an amusing query to pose, as Katrice Scott herself isn’t entirely certain when she embarked on her culinary journey. Her story isn’t the typical one. She was raised in a family teeming with cooks, including her parents, her Aunt Sharon, her grandmothers Alice and Cynthia, and her great uncles Papoose and Gene. She fondly recalls her Grandma Cynthia and her parents for their social embrace and knack for hosting meticulously planned familial celebrations on weekends.
Katrice has a twin sister Karin, who she believes, during their high school years, was the more self-assured twin with a clear vision of her future. Karin’s decision to pursue culinary arts inspired Katrice to do the same, despite her lack of cooking skills and passion for the craft. She didn’t want to be the twin who remained idle. Her sister eventually ventured into baking and cake decorating, a skill that Katrice admits she still hasn’t mastered. Over the years, her sister’s work has left her in awe and sparked her own creativity.
Unfortunately, their decision to attend culinary school turned out to be a disastrous one, leaving them with over $20,000 in student loan debt. They dropped out and entered the workforce. But after a few years, Katrice grew tired of the corporate world and decided to return to school – the best decision she could have made. With a leap of faith, she enrolled in the culinary program at her local community college, FCC, and found it to be a rewarding, self-aligning experience.
The first piece of advice FCC’s Chef Kimbrough gave Katrice was to secure a job in the culinary field. She applied at The Hilton Garden Inn a week later. Despite her lack of experience, she was invited for an interview. Upon arrival, she was simply instructed to cook, with no questions asked. Her task was to prepare Teriyaki Salmon with Bok Choy. The next day, she received a call back and started working the following week. During her time at The Hilton Garden Inn, Katrice learned a great deal. She spent many days cooking solo and excitingly created Daily Dinner Specials. This experience sparked her curiosity about other culinary opportunities. She pondered whether she wanted to cater, bake sweets, plan parties, or become a chef.
Katrice was fortunate enough to work at three of the four places she had always dreamed of. This led her to her source of inspiration – the talented individuals from her hometown who were maximizing their abilities. She had the privilege of working alongside Chef ML Carroll at Canapes Catering, Chef Jeff Beard at The Wine Kitchen, and Chef Brandon Sumblin at Serenity Tea Room and Fine Dining.
At Canapes, Katrice would arrive at a venue at 5 am to prepare a breakfast buffet for 75 people by herself, and would be home by 10 am. She admired Chef ML Carroll’s ability to handle large events with grace. Her time at Canapes nurtured her passion for planning and executing events, but she remained unsure if this was her true calling.
After Canapes, she was offered a line cook position at the Wine Kitchen. This was her first experience working on “the line”, a challenging role that tested her resilience. Despite the difficulties, she wouldn’t trade this time for anything. She learned new techniques, recipes, and flavors, and gained a deep understanding of how a restaurant operates. Chef Jeff, a down-to-earth mentor, was generous with his teachings but had zero tolerance for nonsense. It was here that Katrice mastered the basics, like making pasta and mayo from scratch. She later secured a part-time position at Serenity Tea Room and Fine Dining, where she had the opportunity to work with Chef Brandon. A popular chef who has graced national television, his innovative approach to flavors was both wild and inspiring.
However, in March 2017, her burgeoning career would come to a halt as Katrice was involved in a sudden tragic accident that resulted in a broken ankle on both sides. This left her immobile for months, leading to a deep depression. As someone who worked on her feet, she couldn’t work while on crutches.
During this difficult time, she received a call to make decorated sugar cookies with a henna print. Despite having only made them once before and not yet mastering the technique, she accepted the job. It took some time, but upon completion Katrice’s client was absolutely thrilled! The client was so impressed that she booked Katrice again immediately thereafter.
Since then, Katrice’s culinary journey has been filled with various opportunities that have broadened her culinary horizons; she can confidently say it’s been nothing less than a blessing.
Katrice loves to express her creativity and refers to herself as a Confectionary Artist. Unlike other culinary artists, she has to create and mix all of her own colors using Royal Icing, and she also has to prepare her own canvas, or Cookie Dough, rather. It’s a labor-intensive and time-consuming process, but the joy she gets from seeing people’s reactions is priceless. This is her true calling; it has helped her overcome her depression, and Katrice hopes that she can inspire someone else in her hometown to preserver and use their talent to the fullest.
Katrice and her sister Karin both bake, but each has different specialties. They are hopeful that their business will be up and running this year, and they will soon be able to offer their sweets and savories to a larger audience, helping them make their celebrations unforgettable.
Like sweets? Follow Katrice the Confectionery Artist on www.twosweetllc.com.
