Bakery Science Club gains sweet, real-world knowledge with Holiday Bake Sale
K-State's Bakery Science Club, a sponsored student organization, is preparing for its annual Holiday Bake Sale. The sale provides students with real-world business experience for the retail bakery industry. The club is accepting orders until Nov. 28.
Generations of Wildcats may remember the Bakery Science Club's holiday bake sale. Still, for the club members, the knowledge and experience gained from the bake sale extends beyond the lab as they become the future bakers of the world.
For decades, the Bakery Science Club in the Department of Grain and Food Science has hosted a holiday bake sale featuring products such as classic gingerbread cookies and baguettes. This year, Josh Cox, a junior in bakery science and management, is one of two production managers who curate a list of products to be sold during the holiday sale.
"Our role as production managers is to come up with what will be sold and how to formulate it," Cox said. "Then we come in early the day of the bake sale and make up the dough or batter for the club members to bake."
Once the recipes are selected, it's up to the students in the club to work together to bake the products in the pilot-scale bake lab, create order forms, manage the orders, and package the products according to individual orders. Cox said this work style provides a practical element for those majoring in bakery science to understand the lab and business application.
"I'd say the biggest thing that helps other than that practical element would be collaboration and teamwork," Cox said.
While owning a retail bakery isn't the goal for everyone in the Bakery Science Club, Cox said there is value in understanding the business application side of baking to be a well-rounded student and future industry professional.
The product list for this year's holiday bake sale is a cookie party pack, M&M's and chocolate chip cookies, monster cookies, soft gingerbread cookies, brownies, peppermint brownies, frosted cinnamon rolls, chocolate babka, cinnamon babka, fresh baguettes, sourdough, cinnamon coffee cake and raspberry and cream cheese coffee cake.
Orders for the bake sale are open until 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 28. Pickup will be from 2 to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10, in Shellenberger Hall. Orders can be placed online.
— Submitted by Alyssa Storm