The University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Service Family & Consumer Sciences (FCS) Education focuses on empowering community leaders. Building the capacity of volunteer leaders is critical for the sustainability of communities that support and strengthen families. Family and Consumer Sciences Extension is committed to engaging, educating, and empowering local citizens to investigate issues, make responsible decisions, and take ownership of solutions.   Leadership is a challenging topic to teach but with the focus on exploring the essentials and fundamentals of what makes baking successful, we can also look at and explore how leadership skills can be viewed as ingredients for our own “Leadership Cake.” 

As advisors to the Northern Kentucky Extension Homemakers, the area FCS Agents collaborated and conducted an extensive leadership program utilizing a creative approach. To begin the program, the area FCS agents lead the group in a hands-on baking activity, baking two small individual cakes.   

The agents then focused on the following topics:  

Chelsea Young introduced the Leadership Cake book and discussed the importance of the essential ingredients in cakes using the Super Star Baking Chef Cake lesson and compared the ingredients with leadership skills including communication, authenticity, knowledge, and empathy. 

Asa Conkwright discussed the essential ingredients for baking using the Super Star Baking Chef Essential Ingredients lesson and related each ingredient to comparable leadership qualities or characteristics based on function of each ingredient. 

Joan Bowling focused on kitchen tools and comparing tools/equipment with leadership styles using the Super Star Baking Chef Proper Mixing and Equipment Use lesson.  

Ronda Rex demonstrated how to bake for your pets using the Super Star Chef Quick Bread Dog Biscuit recipe and how to use these skills to volunteer in your community.  

Diane Mason focused on the evaluation of baked goods using the Super Star Baking Chef Cakes Evaluation Activity and the Kentucky Extension Leadership Development curriculum utilizing SWOT to analyze the organization. 

The program was provided through the means of a University of Kentucky School of Human Environmental Sciences Mini-Grant. Each participant received a reusable bag consisting of a kitchen tool, a leadership folder and the Leadership Cake book written by Steve Rush. 

An end of program evaluation revealed:

1. 100% of the participants understood that various leadership qualities or characteristics play a significant role within their organization.  
2. 100% understood how temperature of a group can influence membership and experiences.  
3. 100% understood that individuals bring their own perspectives and expectations to an evaluation process. 
4. 97% understood how each ingredients comes together and plays an important role in leadership and baking.
5. 97% understood the value of evaluating to help improve future efforts and products.
6. 97% understood involving others in evaluating products, programs and services improves the overall effort.     

Testimonials include:

1. Excellent. Very creative to connect baking/leadership qualities.  Thought provoking.
2. Very clever. I loved it-loved the fusion of something so everyday (cooking) in align with personal leadership development.