Jackie Sappington

The daughter of a single mother and self-described "pie geek," Jackie started experimenting with food at an early age and quickly fell in love with cookbooks, tackling her first recipe at just 10 years old - a puff pastry dessert from Julia Child's "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." She studied the Anthropology of Food at the University of Oregon then moved to Portland in 1995 where she worked her way through restaurant kitchens as a savory chef including Wildwood Restaurant and Paley's Place. She then switched gears to pastry - learning about and appreciating the preciseness and scientific aspects of baking - while working at Café Azul and Lauro Kitchen.

With no formal training, Jackie's on-the-job education proved time, dedication and repetition were the keys to perfecting the craft. With a sole focus on pastries for over 10 years now, Jackie's approach as Executive Pastry Chef of The Country Cat is warm and patient, but meticulous and infused with love. She simply could not live without her mixer and offset icing spatula. And while you'll never find a microwave in her pastry kitchen, you'll always find fresh vanilla beans and parchment paper. She loves to create whimsical takes on classic desserts, admitting a fresh pie coming out of the oven hugs her with a warm blanket of happiness that makes her smile. In her limited spare time, Jackie can be found on the soccer field with her sons or training for and running marathons.