KATIE GAGNE
COLUMNIST: COOKING UP A HOOLEY IN THE KITCHEN
Meet iIrish’s Cooking Up a Hooley in the Kitchen Columnist Katie Gagne
By Ava Barton
Katie Gagne is iIrish’s Cooking Up a Hooley in the Kitchen columnist. The column shares various recipes each month – some family traditions, others based on the season.
Katie is also the owner of Sassy Sweets, an in-home bakery that makes gourmet pastries, cookies, cupcakes, cakes, and more. The business was something it seems Katie fell into, beginning almost a decade ago when her niece asked her to bake a cake for her confirmation. The cake was a hit and before she knew it, people were asking her to make cakes and cupcakes for various events; this was the beginning of Sassy Sweets.
When asked if she had a favorite recipe, Katie said she loves the various scones she makes, depending on the season, as well as her recipe for jambalaya, which she typically shares in February, close to Mardi Gras.
Eight years ago, Katie started taking an Irish language class at P.J. McIntyre’s in Cleveland and through this, she met John O’Brien Jr., iIrish Publisher, and Editor. She likes writing her column because of all the different recipes she finds and gets to try out.
Most recently, she came across an Irish recipe she had never seen before: baked onions.
When asked what it means to be Irish, she talks about the community. “Just the idea that you’re with people that put faith and family and their traditions first in their life and they’re passing it on from generation to generation.”
