Allison Cheshire

This administrative specialist is also a pastry specialist. On every birthday or holiday, Allison can be found creating beautifully decorated cakes and cupcakes. “I love cooking and baking for people and enjoy the way a good meal makes people feel,” Allison says, adding, “I love the memories that baked goods conjure up.”

One memory she isn’t so proud of is the time she lined a baking sheet with waxed paper instead of parchment paper. “At the time, I thought both papers had the same properties,” she explains wryly. 

Susan Hauter

Susan, a legal assistant, recalls pleasant hours as a girl helping her mother make bushels of Italian bowtie cookies and pots of Italian wedding soup. “My job was to roll about 200 tiny meatballs,” Susan says of the soup. “And she sure let me know when I made them a bit too big!” 

Today, one of Susan’s hobbies is collecting cookbooks from every place she visits. “I should have about 200 to 250 by now,” she notes. “And believe it or not, I do read them cover to cover and refer to them quite often.”

Kim Neubauer

Kim is a small business accountant who would secretly love to be a movie critic. “I love movies and have never viewed one that I didn’t critique, if only to myself,” she explains.

When asked to critically assess the very best city for restaurants, Kim chooses New York City. She gives it two thumbs-up for offering so many different types of cuisine. But if she had to pick a favorite home-cooked dish? “Homemade pizza,” Kim votes.

Kristine Shepherd

Coworkers in the education industry know Kristine as an accountant, but family and friends know her as a cook who creates both delicious and healthful dishes—one of which is her special fruit salad.

But whether in the office or in the kitchen, Kristine is famous for her outstanding organizational skills. On her days off work, she’s often busy at home. “A vacation for me means to relax or to get projects completed around the house that have gone to the wayside.”