Avery Harrington '28 bakes a savory dark chocolate cake that could (with a little help) be worth $20,000. But whether or not she's crowned "The Greatest Baker," baking has saved her life.
Avery's back pain was getting worse. She was a freshman in high school and assumed she aggravated her back (pulled a muscle, maybe?) during soccer practice, or maybe while mowing the lawn. There could be a number of reasons, she figured, that might explain why she was suffering from intensifying back spasms. But scoliosis was never one of them.
"My mom pushed for an x-ray and then it was obvious. My spine has an 'S' shape to it. You would never know looking at me, but as I started to get taller, the condition got worse. I was told I would need spinal fusion surgery to straighten it. That would have involved fusing each vertebra with a rod."
Thankfully, it never came to that. Avery was connected with a world-renowned scoliosis specialist in New York and through long, arduous therapy, she has straighten her curve by 40 percent, which puts her outside of surgical range. The treatment depended, among other things, on a cumbersome back brace that Avery would wear for 21 hours a day. Soccer was limited, and hot days were made much hotter and uncomfortable by the brace.
"I was a super active kid and all of sudden I found myself spending more time inside. For my own sanity, I needed something. And that's when I rediscovered my passion for baking."
Avery grew up baking Christmas cookies with her grandma, a cousin, and her older sister. It was one of her favorite holiday traditions, but as she got older, she baked less. That is until she found herself stuck inside wearing a bulky brace with nothing but time and unhelpful thoughts. That's when she decided to fire up the oven.
"It was a way to step out of the stress."
All the while, her spine was straightening, and once she had corrected the curve enough, Avery was cleared to wear the brace only at night for stability. Ditching the brace during the day returned some normalcy to her life, but then a completely different life-changing event stopped Avery in her tracks.
"My mom was involved in a serious bicycle accident. When she got out of the hospital, she was recovering at home, but I had to step up and handle many of her responsibilities. I'd leave school during free period to make her lunch, and I'd cook dinner and help out with my younger brother."
There was more stress and more time indoors, which led to more baking. She got her grandma involved and decided to make a little business out of it. Avery was taking orders, through social media, and making custom cakes. One day on an Instagram scroll, she came across The Greatest Baker competition, presented by famed baker Buddy Valastro. Bakers compete, via their profile pages, and online votes (which can come from anyone) will determine the next "Greatest Baker." Votes cost money (1 daily vote is free on Facebook) with the proceeds supporting the B+ foundation, which provides financial and emotional support to families of children with cancer.
Voting will continue through the end of the year, and the winner will receive $20,000. Plus, the "Greatest Baker" will be featured in Bake from Scratch magazine and will spend some quality kitchen time with Valastro. Avery already has a plan for the winnings.
"Some of the money would definitely help offset my treatment, but I would also want to use some of the money to be an advocate for people in my position. Many scoliosis patients aren't told there are options besides surgery. I understand what this process is like, and I want to be able to help others and inspire them to make the best decision."
"Greatest Baker" or not, Avery's baking skills are no loner a hidden talent on campus. The finance major is excited to head home (near Rochester) over Thanksgiving break, but she'll be busy over the holiday. She's promised too many friends, classmates, and professors that she'll be returning to campus with a car full of homemade goodies in early December.
"There's definitely a long line of people waiting for me to get back."