Lauren Quick is a journalist and pastry chef whose childhood aspirations to become a vet were squelched when she realized she has a significant aversion to blood. This didn’t stop her from volunteering at animal shelters in Missouri, Oklahoma and Illinois, nor did it prevent young Lauren from attempting to befriend the feral kittens on her grandparents’ farm in rural Missouri.

Lauren graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism with an emphasis in magazine editing and minors in Spanish and sociology before spending four years at a business-to-business magazine in Chicago. As senior editor of the publication, she worked closely with PR firms to create compelling, informative and useful stories. Lauren attended The French Pastry School in Chicago and graduated with honors before moving to Kansas City to be nearer to family.

Lauren and her husband have one dog, a five-year-old soft-coated wheaten terrier named Lucy. Bright and stubborn, Lucy’s distinctly terrier personality bears a strong resemblance to her namesake, Lucille Ball (but like Lucille Ball, she’s also charming enough to get out of trouble pretty easily).