Mix, Knead, Post

“I think it comes from my lack of baking. I’ve been using boxed recipes, so he took the initiative and tried to make things from scratch,” said Scherazad. “He has become quite an expert and really creative. He gets inspired by the recipes he finds and somehow makes them even better.”

And it is the people around Pearse who get to reap the benefits. 

“I don’t eat it all myself,” said Pearse. “I bake a lot for The Grifter and for events we host. I share with my family, neighbours and friends – whomever is around!”

He is certainly popular in his advisory group at the College – he brings in treats when the group meets – and his entire West Toronto neighbourhood has sampled his goods. According to his father, Pearse “is very good at bringing his desserts to the neighbours and sharing with them.” Scherazad mentioned that a neighbour even asked Pearse if he would bake her a birthday cake.

While Pearse enjoys spending as much time as he can baking, he does not see a professional future in it. 

“I don’t think I would ever consider baking as a career, but I love it as a hobby,” he said. “It’s more of a therapeutic thing for me to do in my spare time.”

Trena Evans, RSGC’s Senior School English Department Head, who helps the boys run The Grifter, can’t say enough about Pearse, despite having only sampled his journalistic efforts, never his baking. 

“He’s incredible. He’s pursuing a passion, has lots of interests and ideas, and he has the discipline to follow through on them,” she said. “Pearse isn’t a loud voice, but he’s a quiet leader – not only at The Grifter, but in the classroom, too. In everything he does, for that matter. I really appreciate that he’s a quiet leader. That’s a great thing for the other boys to see: you don’t have to be aggressive and loud to have an impact.” 

According to Trena, Pearse has earned himself a leadership position at The Grifter, thanks to his consistent submissions and high-quality work. He is also one of the few students who has access to the paper’s content management system, which means that Trena has complete confidence in him.
 

“He has a really high standard, and he’s thoughtful and encouraging to other contributors,” she said. “He’s also a great editor.”

In his advisory group, Pearse and his friends came up with an idea for a column called “20 Under 20.” The boys will find restaurants that are within a 20-minute walk of the College and that offer lunch for under $20, and will review them on The Grifter. This column, which will be written by boys in the group, along with Pearse’s recipe column, will form the Eat This food culture section of the paper. 

Pearse, who says it was a big transition when he started at RSGC in Grade 9, welcomes having such an outlet to share his passion with his friends. But ultimately, he’s a science man. 

“I’ve had a really good experience here at RSGC,” he said. “I really like the opportunities afforded to me through the school. It has really fostered my love for the sciences.”

And Trena anticipates big things for Pearse after he graduates. 

“He’s probably going to be a doctor,” she said. “But he’s going to have some amazing dinner parties.”