No. 18 Vol. 12
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Livingston High School Junior Starts Online Bakery
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By Steve Sears ivingston High School junior, Mackenze Glassman, recently started her own online bakery. A wonderful thing: a high school student developing a keen business acumen doing what she enjoys. There’s more. Some of her profit gathered from her peanut and tree-nut free bakery biz is in turn donated to a charity or organization. She calls her business Sweets by Mackenze. Glassman, who is 15, intends on majoring in Business in college. “In early March during quarantine,” she recalls, “I started to bake for my friends and family because I couldn’t see them, and it was just a hobby to pass the time. One of my friends actually really liked it, and she said that I should start a business, so then I went to my parents and said, ‘I want to start a business.’” Heath and Taryn Glassman gave the okay, and it developed from there. Tastings were held with her family as she perfected her goodies, and a few weeks went by before Glassman felt comfortable enough to hang out the Sweets by Mackenze “awning,” she then creating – in addition to her baked goods – Facebook and Instagram accounts for her endeavor. She initially took orders during the week and then spent the weekend doing baking and deliveries, but now that she is home and in school just twice a week, her baking is done during off hours from school. “Basically, if someone messages or emails me and says they need something by a certain date,” she says, “I can try to accommodate it and fit it into my schedule.” A key component to what Glassman does is being cognizant of food allergies she, her family, and her friends suffer with. “I’ve often tried baking for myself, and my friends and family, and I was trying out different recipes that were treenut and peanut free, because I have that allergy myself, and my father also has a severe dairy allergy, and so when I bake I always try to keep him in mind. So, my family and I can all enjoy them (the sweets) together and no one is excluded.” Glassman’s initial creations were bigger sized cookies which she called XL, and from those she created mini cookies, the variety being chocolate chip, double chocolate chip, red velvet, sprinkles, smores, and sugar doodle. People also tend to favor her tie dye cookies, which are available in
many colors. She also offers cookie pizzas and cookie cakes, Oreo brownie a big favorite in the latter category. Glassman often interacts with her little brother, Luke, (“He is kind of the mind behind some of my flavors,” says Glassman) and her Instagram followers as she experiments with different varieties of tastes and treats. Any size order is welcome, and Glassman bakes to order (nothing is premade). Thus far, recipients of some of the Sweets by Mackenze profits have been the COVID19 Relief Fund, No Kid Hungry, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and she has also donated snacks to the Livingston Neighbors Helping Neighbors, and dinner and treats to the Livingston Police Department. Her ultimate goal? “I’m hoping to combine my love of business and math and my love of baking and build a good experience for myself in college and later on in life.” Orders can be made through Facebook Messenger on the Sweets by Mackenze Facebook page, Instagram (www. instagram.com/sweetsbymackenze/), and via email at sweetsbymackenze@gmail.com.
December 2020