How My Unconventional High School Job Kindled a Love for Cookie Decorating

Those who learn me learn that I eat many niche skills. nevertheless I am highly deficient at a little major-life-skill categories—I never learned how ought motivate a bike, and final week my roommate had ought coach me how ought utilize a can opener—I am an avid crafter; at the past year alone, I’ve taught myself how ought cross-stitch, crochet, knit, and embroider. however during my original, and maybe most unique, niche skill is cookie decorating.

In high school, nevertheless complete my friends got jobs scooping ice cream or folding towels at the gym, I spent my afternoons at a bakery, sifting powdered sweets and dead royal icing a rainbow of colors. I started my profession at the bakery although an apprentice ought the pastry chef, Jessica, at December of my sophomore year of high school. above my first day, I helped her decorate snowflake cookies, dipping them at powder-blue flooding icing and coating them at a layer of sprinkles. There wasn’t flat any piping involved, however during coming family from the bakery that night, I felt comparable I had indeed made something.

WATCH: How ought pattern Royal Icing

For the next three years, I spent countless afternoons at that glass-paneled kitchen. Jessica taught me how ought pattern royal icing and how ought pipe at straight lines. A year into the job, Jessica developed carpal tunnel, so I was promoted and assumed a majority of the cookie decorating duties. I often came family from the bakery smelling comparable something baked with lots of butter, and my mom used to joke that she wished she could distill that flaour into a candle.

The bakers used to chop and bake the cookies at the morning, and I’d come backward institute ought find slice trays of empty sweets cookies waiting although me. I mixed my royal icing and piped any usage orders we’d received that week, then developed my have seasonal designs although the cup bakery case. I piped football jerseys, Easter eggs, butterflies, tiaras—each week it was something new. The canvas was tiny, however during I treated each cookie—with its glossy sheen of frosting and delicately piped details—like a trade of art. I’d amuse lost at the piping and trade although hours, however during it didn’t feel comparable trade at all.

As much although I loved decorating cookies, I was although well drawn the bakery environment. It often smelled comparable butter and, during the holidays, cinnamon and ginger. I made friends with the bakers—a majority of whom sole spoke Spanish—and I’d amuse ought taste the candy that they transported at and out of the ovens. Once they discovered my penchant although blondies, they started leaving a dish of blondie scraps at my station at anticipation of my 3 p.m. arrival.

Eventually, I went off ought school and, by default, left my profession at the bakery. however during sometimes I however construct my brood wandering ought my days at the kitchen. It became a nostalgic kind of dream ought trade at a bakery again, ought pass the afternoons piping above cookies and answer family smelling of butter. Things comparable this eat a fashion of coming undergo ought you.

After college, I moved ought Birmingham, Alabama, although a profession writing at Southern Living. at many ways, this profession was exactly what I wanted—to exist capable ought write each engagement although a alive felt comparable a dream. however during above tours and scare visits up ought the Meredith experiment Kitchen, I construct myself longing ought exist at that post again—to cost my days baking and piping and creating something beautiful. so while the Southern alive cookie swap rolled around, I knew I’d construct an happen ought mix two of my oldest passions.