From Chef Instructor to Owner: Meet Cassie Pavlick!

• What do you call a cooking class in Tampa during summer? A bake-ation!
• Knock knock. Who’s there? Beach. Beach who? Beach you to the snack table after class!

A New Chapter for Cassie Pavlick

Cassie Pavlick’s work has always built her work around children and families. She’s led before- and after-school enrichment programs in multiple states and held administrative roles in both public education and nursing education in Colorado. Most recently, she has been working part-time as a chef instructor with Sticky Fingers Cooking® in Denver, teaching after-school cooking classes across the city. 

After nearly a decade in Colorado, she was ready to return to the East Coast so her 7-year-old daughter, Alessia, could grow up near cousins and extended family.

From Part-Time Job to Full-Time Dream

As she prepared for their move to Tampa, Cassie looked to see if Sticky Fingers Cooking® had a presence there. She hoped to continue teaching kids to cook while settling into her new home.

“When I checked to see if there was Sticky Fingers Cooking® in Tampa, I saw online that I could open my own,” she said. “The universe was calling me! The timing just aligned.”

In early 2025, Cassie became the owner of Sticky Fingers Cooking® serving Tampa. With its family-centered culture, many elementary schools, and strong community feel, Tampa seemed like a perfect match for both her daughter and her business.

A Kitchen That Spans Generations

Cassie’s love of cooking started early. She grew up in Queens, New York, where her Puerto Rican grandmother was a frequent presence in the kitchen. “My grandmother used to cook a lot so there was a Spanish Caribbean influence growing up,” she shared. That early exposure made the kitchen feel like home—and may explain how she connects so naturally with children through food.

Now her own daughter is picking up the tradition. “A favorite recipe is the Stacked Lasagna Pizza Bites,” Cassie shared. “It’s easy and my daughter can almost do that recipe independently.” Cassie also shared that her daughter has food allergies (tomatoes) and she loves that Sticky Fingers Cooking® accommodates all allergies and she uses the modified ingredients list that accompanies each recipe to keep her daughter happy and healthy!

A Natural Fit

Erin Fletter, founder and CEO of Sticky Fingers Cooking®, sees Cassie’s journey as something special. “Cassie is such a bright, caring, amazing woman—exactly the kind of human who embodies everything we value at Sticky Fingers Cooking®. It’s honestly incredible to me that she loved being a chef instructor so much that she found a way to stay connected and then went after this life-changing opportunity for herself and her daughter. Seriously, it gives me goosebumps!”

What’s Next for Tampa?

What began as a part-time job has evolved into an exciting new chapter for Cassie. We couldn’t be happier for her—and for the families in and around Tampa who will soon be able to register for Sticky Fingers Cooking® camps and classes!

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