Bio

My name is Kiara O’Donnell Riley.  I live in Cambridge, Massachusetts and have been for about seventeen and a half years.  I live with my mother, father, and two cats, Cleo and Zoey.  I was adopted from Yibin, China when I was about eighteen months old and I’m an only child.  My hobbies include Chinese dancing, shopping, and of course, baking.

Coming to culinary school never crossed my mind when I was younger.  Yea I love food, but I had bigger and better dreams.  I wanted to be an actress in Hollywood.  I was involved in drama at school and I sang almost everywhere I went.  As I got older that dream became more and more distant.  When I got to high school, I needed to start thinking about my future.  Did I still want to keep chasing this dream that never seemed realistic, or do I choose something else that I can have fun with and do for a career? 

       I got into the culinary program at Cambridge Rindge and Latin High School.  I realized my love for baking and it stuck with me for the rest of my high school career.  At the end of my sophomore year, I made it clear that I wanted to attend culinary school.  My two options were Johnson and Wales and Culinary Institute of America.  I toured both campuses and chose Johnson and Wales because I like the location and it has a great baking program. Moving to Providence was not really a huge adjustment for me because I’ve lived in a big city all my life.  Boston is right next to Cambridge.

I want to have a great experience here at Johnson and Wales.  I will have to work hard and that’s ok with me because it creates a good work ethic and discipline.  I chose baking and Pastry because it is an art form.  Making food into art is so clever and I want to create something to make others happy.  I want to do an internship somewhere amazing because I love to travel.  If I have to stay in the USA, I want to go to Hawaii.  If I can go outside of the USA I want to go to Tokyo, Japan.  My lifetime goal is to someday open my own bakery.

Apple Strudel- This is made with a Filo dough and the filling is apples coated with cinnamon sugar and rum.  The apples were sauted and there is 5 layers of filo dough being used.  It was until the outside was golden brown and crispy. It was then garnished with powdered sugar, caramel, and Chantilly cream.

Apple Crisp-  This apple crisp is made with granny smith apples, butter, and cinnamon sugar.  They apples were sauted until they became a little tender, but not caramelized.  It was topped with a streusel topping made with brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, salt and bread flour.  I plated it with a French Vanilla ice cream.  I designed the plate with caramel and a mango sauce.  Powdered sugar was used as a finish.

Sorbet-  This is an orange sorbet made with orange juice concentrate and water.  There is also sorbet syrup added.  This is served in a honey tuile cup and garnished with fresh mint leaves.

Granita Coupe- This is an Earl Grey granita garnished with fresh mint leaves and a candied pear slice.  The granita is made from simple syrup and an infused liquid.  It is then put in the freezer to harden then a fork is used to get the desired texture.

Cheery Jubilee- Dark cherries, Kirschwasser liqueur, Peter Herring Liqueur, lemon, sugar, and cornstarch were boiled in a pot then plated over vanilla ice cream.  A raspberry sauce is drizzled over the top.

Parfait Glace- A banana, cinnamon, ginger, banana liqueur, rum, and molasses base.  this is garnished with whipped cream, a caramelized banana penny, a cinnamon stick, and a honey tuile butterfly

Crepe Suzette- a simple crepe batter dipped in a crepe suzette sauce.  The sauce contains lemon juice and zest, orange juice and zest, orange liqueur, brandy, orange concentrate, and butter.  It is garnished with the sauce and a little but of orange zest.

Bombe Glace- The first layer is a tropical fruit gelato.  The second layer is an orange sorbet.  the outside is a mango low viscosity glaze.  It is garnished with a whipped cream lining, French meringue shapes, and a honey tuile star.

Souffle Glace- The base is made with bananas, brown sugar, cinnamon, ground ginger, banana liqueur, and Rum.  It is garnished a with whipped cream, a cinnamon stick, a honey tuile butterfly, and a caramelized banana penny.

Baked Alaska: a sponge cakes lined dome.  There is two layers of ice cream, American style mango and French Vanilla.  The outside is piped with French meringue rosettes then toasted on the outside with a blow torch.