At the 2009 WorldSkills Competition in Calgary, Alberta, Caitlin Mayo was the first ever BC representative in the Confectioner/Pastry Cook category of the competition.
At the young age of 19, Caitlin however, is no stranger to competitions. Loving the challenge and considering it fun, she played competitive soccer as well as competed in band and biathlon when she was a Sea Cadet. Caitlin entered her first baking competition, the Canadian Skills’ regional competition, when she was enrolled in the ACE-IT program at Vancouver Community College (VCC) in 2006. Since then, she has competed both provincially and nationally, winning silver at the 2008 Canadian Skills Competition and the invitation to represent Canada at the 2009 WorldSkills Competition.
“Competition is a good way to bring your skill level up,” Caitlin said, “Preparing for the WorldSkills Competition has been a learning curve for me.”
At the competition Caitlin worked 22 hours over four days to create four types of hand-moulded marzipan forms, a plated dessert from a mystery basket of ingredients, four varieties (40 pieces) of small cakes/tea pastries and two entremet (small desserts) from another mystery basket - one coated and decorated with sugar and one a chocolate centre piece.
One of Caitlin’s biggest challenges was to make sure that her finished products meet the exact standards of the competition. To that end her technical advisor, Nancy McRae, volunteered many hours to ensure she was ready.
“Caitlin’s strengths are her dedication and determination,” Nancy said. “When I see her work, sometimes I forget that she is only 19.” A baking and pastry arts instructor at VCC, Nancy was also the provincial advisor for the BC Skills Competition and first met Caitlin in 2006 when she was teaching the ACE-IT class at VCC. Since then she has been impressed with Caitlin’s training progress and how much she has accomplished in the last few years. “I have never heard her complain – she always tries her best and she loves what she is doing,” Nancy added.
Caitlin has recently received sugar and chocolate instruction from local experts and has been practicing three times a week. To be fully prepared for the competition it had taken a minimum of 1,000 training hours.
Knowing that she was under the international spotlight, Caitlin was nothing but a proud Canadian. “While it definitely puts a lot of pressure on me to do well,” she said, “it’s a great opportunity to represent your country at that level.”
