RIVER WEST — The pint-sized baker who ignited a media firestorm that led to a legal victory for home chefs everywhere will be traveling to Chicago next week to take a baking skills class as part of Kendall College's summer camp program.
Chloe Stirling is only 12, but the culinary arts and hospitality school at 900 N. North Branch St. said it was happy to make an exception so the Downstate Troy middle schooler can sit in on the class which is typically for high school students.
Lizzie Schiffman chats about the 12-year-old who helped change a law, allowing independent bakers to work in their home kitchens:
Chloe was 11 last January when her small baking business was shut down by Madison County, which argued that she had to operate her business out of a commercial space instead of her parents' home kitchen.
A controversy erupted, resulting in Gov. Pat Quinn signing what came to be called the "cupcake bill" in Chloe's kitchen. The bill allows home bakers to operate out of their own kitchens if they inform their customers and make less than $1,000 per month from bakery sales.
Chloe earned the nickname "cupcake girl" for testifying before the state Legislature about the need for leniency for small-time home bakers.
Terrell Johnson, special programs manager at Kendall College and director of the summer camp program, said the culinary school was "following her story and her achievements all the way," and was thrilled when she and her family accepted its offer to cover her tuition for a one-week summer class.
"I'm really excited to be working with all the professionals," Chloe said. "I haven't really learned how to do a bunch of the stuff we're going to learn how to do there."
Typically, Kendall's weeklong beginning pastry class costs $995. It's $1,395 for students who stay in the dorms.
"The goal of the summer camps is to help kids grow their culinary skill set, and after seeing Chloe's unique story earlier this year ... we thought it was a great opportunity to help Chloe grow her own skills, even though they are already amazing," said Kyle Trompeter, a Kendall College spokesman.
"Even though she already is ahead of the curve for her age, there is still always room to work on your craft," he said.
Indeed, young Chloe, whose mother says she has no real training and "certainly didn't get her baking skills from me," said she's especially excited to develop new technical skills at the weeklong camp, like working with modeling chocolate and fondant, which Chloe said she was especially excited about.
"This will be her first experience with someone teaching her something" baking-related, Heather Stirling said. "Everything she has learned, she's self-taught."
Johnson said the summer class will teach Chloe "industry-standard skills, like taking proper measurements, how to make everything from scratch. The same industry tips and tricks she would learn as a first-year college student."
Classes last from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. five days a week and are geared toward high school students seeking pre-professional training.
Heather Stirling said she and Chloe will stay in Chicago for the week with her parents and Chloe's little sister Sophia. Between classes they hope to squeeze in some sightseeing, catching a Cubs game against their beloved St. Louis Cardinals and visiting the Field Museum, which Chloe's especially excited about.
There's one skill set Chloe will have to look elsewhere to refine for her ultimate dream career, since it's not on the Kendall College agenda.
"I want to be a baker that can bake for animals, too," the 12-year-old said. "I bake a cupcake for my dog every year on his birthday."
