Kayla Tabb, who in 2022 was a graduate of the inaugural Professional Pastry Arts Program class, is today serving as chef-in-residence for the Boston Public Library. In her role as chef-in-residence, which lasts for a year, she has begun offering free cooking lessons weekly.
Tabb got her start in the field early, launching her first baking business at just 13. That lasted until high school, but despite her acumen she eschewed an education in the culinary arts. Instead, Tabb ended up at MIT, where she took the school’s lone course in food chemistry. After finishing her studies, she first became interested in BU MET’s MA in Gastronomy. Then, when the Food Studies program launched its intensive, hands-on, 14-week Professional Pastry Arts Program, Kayla decided to become one of its first students.
“I loved it so much. I showed up to class early every day,” she recently told BU Today. “I didn’t want to do anything else.” Kayla learned to make breads, opera cakes, cream puffs, and whatever else an entry-level pastry baker would be expected to know. She appreciated that the certificate program was taught by industry professionals who exposed her to different career options. “I felt like I was being nurtured, and I felt so well supported,” she said.
Following her time in the program, Tabb took a position working for one of her BU MET pastry chef instructors. Now, she’s playing the role of instructor herself, using the BPL residency as a means to advance the subject that makes her most passionate: food literacy. During her classes, she encourages building a sense of community. “We try to make sure that we’re not just cooking together, but eating together,” she said. “We want to talk about the food, share what we love about it and what we don’t like about it.”
Read more about Kayla Tabb in BU Today.