All cooks have their weakness. For Taylor Cooley, a senior at Ella T. Grasso Technical High School in Groton, it's pie crust.

"Me and pie crusts do not get along," she said with a laugh. "I'm slowly getting better at it, but the first time my grandmother gave me my great-grandmother's recipe, I totally trucked it."

Cooley, a Ledyard resident, started cooking as a child with her grandmother, Susan, who taught her a lot of the kitchen skills she still uses. She said they worked together to make breakfast and food for family gatherings.

"I've always had a lead on everybody in my classes in culinary just because I've been so in love with cooking and baking," she said.

Cooley said that one of her most memorable culinary achievements was learning to make ribs, and she won third place in one of the job demonstration divisions of this year's state SkillsUSA competition for teaching the judges how to make a Greek salad. She said it was similar to a cooking show because she had seven minutes to make the salad and dressing in front of the judges.

"I was super nervous, and the judges were like, 'Oh my God, this is awesome,'" she said. "One guy was writing down the recipe, and I was shocked. I had never done something like that before."

However, she said, she was most drawn to baking because of the science, the art and, of course, the sweets.

"There isn't anything I don't like about it," she said. "I always try to outdo myself every single time, whether it's something simple like brownies or a pie or tarts."

She taught herself how to make eclairs in eighth grade as a challenge, and this year she used the skills she learned in a class assessment on tarts to make them for Easter dinner for her family. She also loves to bake bread and watches the television show "Cake Boss" religiously.

Cooley identified herself as a big supporter of the arts, and for her final project in her 3-D design class, she chose to make a bust out of Rice Krispie treats. Art teacher Joy Supples, who also had Cooley as a student in her 2-D design class, said students were asked to tie together their art skills and their trades for this project. After encountering a Rice Krispie submarine at a party for the CT Sub Trail last year, she approached Cooley about doing something similar.

"I'm trying to get the students to really appreciate how arts and innovation are tying together," Supples said. "No one has ever done it before, so it's a cool project."

Supples said Cooley is hardworking and focused, and her creativity will serve her well at Johnson & Wales University, where she will be pursuing a bachelor's degree in baking and pastry arts.

"She's really willing to take some creative risks with her work that is uncommon for students of her achievement," she said.

Cooley also plans to earn her associate degree in culinary arts while in college. She said the latter would give her the experience to work in any culinary field, not just baking.

David Miguel, head of the culinary arts department at Grasso Tech, said Cooley has been a serious culinary student throughout her career, and her work has led to a high expectation of quality that she continues to maintain. He said she always wants to be in the kitchen, including at her job at Paul's Pasta in Groton, where she works as a dishwasher and prep cook. 

He added that she could succeed at any cooking station.

"She's one of those people who I'd hire in a heartbeat," Miguel said.

a.hutchinson@theday.com