Stacy Shi

Executive Pastry Chef

Stacy’s passion for pursuing the art of pastries is fierce. At an early age, she fell deeply in love with pastries and desserts making with its beautiful form and artistic expression . During her professional schooling at Culinary Institute of America, New York (CIA), she worked in various world renowned restaurants as an apprentice and refined her classic french pastry techniques. After graduating from CIA majoring in Baking & Pastry, She began working for the executive pastry chef team at the 2 star MICHELIN French fine dining restaurant Daniel and its sister bakery cafe Épicerie Boulud.

2020, New York was shut down due to the pandemic, and the whole world was put on a pause. But her world didn’t stop. After visiting her family in Chambana, she saw an opportunity to bring the high-level and inspiring pastry experience to the Heartland and to the highly international population. Later, she met the BrewLab team and was impressed by its dedication to coffee quality and community building. She decided to collaborate together. The idea of BakeLab was born, where she can be highly creative and be free to experiment with different flavors, ingredients and cooking methods and share the love of pastries with the community. Since its inception in 2021, BakeLab has served as a gathering place in the heart of Urbana for residents and visitors alike.