The sweet scents of vanilla, honey, and lavender drift back and forth, mixing with the hot air of the kitchen. I take in the pleasant aromas of my creation, and I am eased. For in that one instant, the incessant feeling of weight lifts from my shoulders and I am renewed once more into the world. Excitement bubbles up from within my stomach as golden brown hues begin to develop, and I imagine the look of delight upon the recipient’s face as they bite into their favorite baked good. I imagine that same feeling of weight being lifted from their shoulders, and I cannot help but swell up with a flurry of both pride and joy.
A large majority of my earliest memories include baking with my grandmother in her kitchen. I recall I would always beg her to make her classic oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with me so that we could have tea parties with my stuffed animals, though I didn’t (and still don’t quite) enjoy tea so we had filled tiny play tea cups with chocolate milk instead. From that very young age, I foun
d such gratification in being able to provide for others in that regard–having the ability to produce saccharine coated acts of kindness. These very memories laid the foundation for my commission-based cottage goods bakery, Skunk’s Signature Sweets. With each and every baked good, I seek to bring a smile; I seek to celebrate all moments in life, whether small or large; I seek to invoke pure unfiltered joy, for even a fleeting moment.
Since the launch of my business in August of 2022, I have been met with the most outstanding support of the Antioch community, who I am ever so grateful for and happy to be surrounded by. I have been able to produce an array of baked goods such as cookies, brownies, cakes, cupcakes, and muffins through various commissions, and continuously expand my horizons. As a confectionery artist, I have been particularly delighted to improve my decorating skills with each and every order and take on new approaches and techniques in the decorating process.
Not only have I been operating solely under commissions, I have also had the opportunity to host my first ever bake sale on February 14, 2023! On Community Day, I had traveled around campus attending various events and selling baked goods on a cart that Forest Bright was kind enough to allow me to use. This sale consisted of red velvet chocolate chip cookies, sugar cookie sweethearts, vegan sugar cookies, and dark chocolate brownies, all of which were decorated to fit the Valentine’s Day theme. Due to the success of this sale, I have plans for additional bake sales in the future. If you would be interested in attending future sales, or wish to commission me for your favorite baked goods, you can support and contact me via my business Instagram, @skunkssignaturesweets. 
To the Antioch College community: I thank you endlessly for your support, I truly appreciate each and every commission, it means the world to me to be able to spread joy in this way. Thank you,
thank you,
thank you.
