Three generations of Blinkey women have made their mark at Emily Griffith Technical College. 

Claudine Blinkey, her daughter Danielle Blinkey and her granddaughter Leah Blinkey all have certificates from the culinary program. 

Leah graduated most recently in April, and she now runs her own bake shop called The Bake Cottage out of her home, with hopes of having a brick and mortar store soon. 

“I do eventually want to open my own bakery. Right now I’m just doing it out of my home. I have a menu and everything that I’ve given to people and I have orders,” she says.

Her grandmother graduated in 2002, and her mom graduated from the culinary program in 2004 and has enjoyed a long, successful career as a chef.

“She’s doing what she loves,” Leah says. Her mother works as a chef at Peak Refreshments. “She makes all the box food that you get to your door.”

Leah, like her mom and grandmother, always had a knack for baking but wanted to improve her skills. 

“I think the best part was broadening my baking knowledge from what I already knew, and practicing a little bit more and having a professional teach me what I was doing wrong,” she says, noting that the program helped her hone her bread making skills.

“I was never really good at bread, because I think I didn’t know how to properly use yeast. It’s a tedious task come to find out,” she says.

She’s proud to be following in her mother and grandmother’s footsteps.