The new Baking Club at LHP has brought more than the smell of fresh cookies and warm macarons onto campus. This incredible club, formed this year, offers numerous opportunities for students with a passion for baking or cooking. The president of the club, Benjamin Yoskin, grade 11, is excited to lead this club to success. He stated that he started this club because he wanted students to come in and show off their culinary skills, and also create a community of amazing young bakers.
In addition to founding the club, Benjamin played a crucial role in its organization. From meetings and activities to events, he dedicates his time to shaping this experience for members of the club. When asked about what club meetings will look like, Benjamin said that it will be a place, “Where members can share ideas for service opportunities, share food they have made, and discuss new interests in cooking.” He added, “While meetings will also be a space to make announcements, I would say that’s a secondary purpose since emails exist.”
New clubs can sometimes have a messy or disorganized start. However, Benjamin is working with other officers to ensure that his club runs smoothly and efficiently. As a Junior in high school and now an upperclassman, it’s sometimes difficult to balance schoolwork along with club work and other extracurricular activities. Benjamin acknowledges that challenge. However, he came up with a perfect schedule for himself and stated, “It’s been a combination of a to-do list, getting faster at writing emails, spending lots of time on the weekends, and establishing some scheduling to limit time wasting.” A schedule with good time management is how Benjamin is able to fulfill and stay on top of all of his responsibilities.
The Baking Club has numerous goals and plans, including collaborations with various clubs and school events. Benjamin hopes to lay a strong foundation for this club during his Junior and Senior years, so that when he graduates, he can pass the torch to a new officer and ensure the club’s continued success. A goal that Benjamin talked about was how he hopes he can, “Be a part of events like the Chinese Spring Festival and Holi, where food is already an important thing.” He wants to handle the organization and preparation of food for events that these clubs will be hosting. Additionally, he believes that this will create communal, volunteer opportunities for his members by allowing them to participate in these events. Another goal Benjamin has is to make birthday desserts, for teachers after his club members collected requests from teachers. He said, “The idea is that members can earn service hours by signing up to make a treat for teachers on their birthdays.” This goal is currently in its early stages, but they hope they will have multiple requests by the end of the semester.
Additionally, Benjamin believes that people should join this club because, “The club provides organizing that lets us bring home cooking to school in a more useful, larger scale that can’t be done individually.” He mentioned that this club will address allergy and safety concerns for its members, which will be helpful when members start cooking on campus for events. There are also many dessert items that Benjamin is excited to present and create for his club. He mentioned how teachers have already been requesting desserts. For example, he explained that “Ms. Butler requested Tarte Tatin for her birthday, and Mr. Weber [wants] a soufflé. That kind of stuff, the foods where individual tastes, interests, and lives are expressed, is where the value in home baking lies.” With requests like these, they are hoping to create a system involving custom orders or requests from faculty members.
In the future, Benjamin would like to consider cooking and teaching events in which members of the club teach others who may not have any experience in cooking or baking, creating amazing culinary experiences. Lake Highland Preparatory School has many diverse and creative clubs for students to join. So if one is interested in baking, and is willing to show their amazing creations, come join the Baking Club as they sprinkle their hard work into every treat they make!
