Kathryn: Where Baking Meets Healing
by Titash Choudhury
The smell of vanilla and brown butter fills the kitchen as Kathryn unpacks her baking supplies. She is not sitting across a desk or behind a screen. Instead, she stands beside her client, mixing and kneading dough while talking about family recipes, resilience, vulnerability, and belonging. The conversation flows easily, in rhythm with the whisk and the quiet hum of the oven. Therapy here feels different, more natural, more human.
This month, we share the story of Kathryn, a proud Killarney neighbour, a psychologist by profession, and a baker whose business brings both worlds together.
Kathryn was born and raised in Calgary. A trained psychologist and family counsellor, she focuses her practice on children and youth. Over the years, she’s seen how school, friendships, and social media, especially around body image, can weigh heavily on teens. Helping them grow, adapt, and thrive has become the work she loves most.
Earlier this year, Kathryn and her husband found their dream home in Killarney after years of searching for the right fit. Walkability sealed the deal. She works at the Richmond Diagnostic Centre and loves being able to walk to Marda Loop, the river, or a nearby café. They value bike-friendly neighbourhoods, and after living in several inner-city communities, settling in Killarney felt like the right choice.
The idea for her business came to Kathryn one day while watching the Christmas Cookie Challenge on TV. A contestant from the Pacific Islands spoke about baking as a social project that supported mental health, and something clicked. She had always been a good baker and loved the idea of food as a connection. Later, while working in children’s mental health at The Summit, she began wondering how she could merge her two worlds, therapy and baking. “It’s funny,” she says, “People come for therapy, but they end up finding comfort in the smell of cookies.” In her sessions, Kathryn creates spaces where people feel safe, connected, and grounded while learning about mental health, self-care, and new ways of thinking. “Baking can be both sensory and mindful,” she explains. “It helps people regulate emotions, connect, and feel safe enough to talk about hard things.” She arrives with a recipe and a topic, and as participants mix, knead, and bake, conversation unfolds naturally. “It keeps your hands busy, like a natural fidget,” she says. “You learn a skill, create something tangible, and talk while doing it.”
Kathryn knows this concept is not new, others around the world are exploring it, but she is one of the first to bring it to Calgary. In Ontario, a group of women runs a bakery and clinic that helps fund therapy sessions. Kathryn joined a focus group called The Therapeutic Kitchen Collective and found others experimenting with similar ideas. Together, they are exploring how baking can become a safe, ethical space for healing.
Finding a physical space for her baking therapy sessions hasn’t been easy. In the meantime, Kathryn has shifted her focus online, offering a mentorship-style program that helps people use baking as part of their self-care routine. The courses are self-paced and include recipes, worksheets, and ‘food for thought’ prompts. “There’s something special about passing down a cookie recipe your grandmother made,” Kathryn says. “It’s a piece of memory, love, and community.”
As an entrepreneur, Kathryn leans on persistence and community. Surrounded by strong, supportive women, she finds motivation in watching them push forward, a reminder that she can too.
Her philosophy is simple: community over competition. For Kathryn, Killarney is home, and the perfect place to run a community-centred business. She loves the friendly neighbours and having everything she needs within reach. She hopes to host more community events and keep meeting inspiring people here.
When asked how she wants to be remembered, Kathryn smiles. “As someone friendly and someone who creates space for others.” Her business is not about baking. It is about community, sharing love, caring for others, and remembering that small, kind acts are a form of self-care too. If you ever see Kathryn at Francesco’s or walking through the park, say hello, or join one of her classes on a cozy winter Sunday afternoon with your family.
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