Chef Emilia Makes History
Emilia Tomaszycki was born and raised in Michigan and attended the Culinary Institute of Michigan in Port Huron where she got her associates in baking and pastry. She took a cake decorating class at Joanne Fabrics with a friend when she was 13 and liked it so much that she used her own money to take more classes. By the time she was 15, she knew that is what she wanted to do as a career. After two years of culinary school, Chef Emilia got a seasonal job in Florida before working at a country club for the summer. She then spent a year and a half working at The Ritz-Carlton, Dallas before she had a bad motorized scooter accident that dislocated and shattered her ankle. After recovering from her accident in Michigan for three months, she moved back to Florida and worked The Ritz-Carlton, Naples before accepting a job as the executive pastry chef at Bonita Bay Club.
In 2020, while bored waiting for a flight she saw an advertisement for “Chopped Sweets” and decided to apply. She heard back within 24 hours and spent several months sending them demos, videos and pictures before flying to New York to be the youngest competitor. The theme of her episode was “Dangerous Decadence” and she had to find ways to incorporate crazy ingredients, including a tarantula, into her deserts. The competition consists of three rounds. Chef Emilia made it through the first round but was chopped after the second round. She hopes to be a competitor on “The School of Chocolate” in the future when she has more experience.
A few months ago, Chef Emilia took the exam to receive her Certified Executive Pastry Chef (CEPC) certification from the American Culinary Federation. The exam consisted of a 100-question written exam and a four-hour practical exam. During the practical exam, she had only four hours to make two completely different cakes, 24 yeast leavened rolls, four portions of a hot plated dessert and four portions of a cold plated dessert. She practiced for this exam for 12-16 weeks coming into the kitchen before everyone else at 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. to put together the menu, practice and do four full run-throughs. She passed both exams in September making her the youngest in history to earn her CEPC at just 24 years old.
Most recently, Chef Emilia was awarded Pastry Chef of the Year by the Culinary Federation. We are lucky to have her at Bonita Bay Club and enjoy seeing her delicious creations. We know the members enjoy her delicious creations just as much as we do! “It is an honor to be the Executive Pastry Chef at such an elite club and serving such distinguished members.” Chef Emilia Tomaszycki.
