Ike Okafor, Senior Officer,
Service Learning & Diversity Outreach,
Faculty of Medicine
Ike has been with the University of Toronto (U of T) for 11 years.
What do you do off the clock?
I love to bake macarons and cakes for weddings and charities. For a few years, I have been baking under my own brand, Guy Who Bakes. The largest charity event I took part in was for Tsunami relief called Toronto Bakes for Japan. It was an effort with bakers and bakeries across Toronto that raised over $60,000 for the Japanese Red Cross Society. Since then I have been baking for student charitable events like EarthTones and the Toronto Humane Society. For fun, I also took part in a World Record challenge for the Most Layers in a Layer Cake.
What sparked your interest in baking?
I have been baking since I was a kid. My grandma would make these awesome apple pies. She taught me how to bake them, and I eventually taught myself how to make other desserts. I think I was reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the time as well, which gave me lots of ideas!
What inspires your baking?
My sweet tooth! I also love to travel, so I make it a point to sample the desserts of the country I visit. I then come home and try making them. I want to be able to make desserts from every country in the world. I think I’ve mastered French macarons — I can do 20 flavours! Desserts from Russia, Croatia and Japan are next on the list!
Submitted by Liam Mitchell