The holiday spirit and the delightful aroma of freshly baked cookies took over Lorain County JVS as junior Bakery and Pastry Arts students joyfully assembled preordered cookie boxes for their much-anticipated annual holiday cookie fundraiser.
This year's class went above and beyond, baking just over 32,000 cookies, including a delicious assortment of treats such as Sicilian white cookies, mint shortbread, jam thumbprints, peanut butter kisses, chocolate chip, and coconut snowballs.
Under the guidance of Bakery and Pastry Arts instructor, Chef Chris Moore, students not only perfected their baking skills but also learned valuable life lessons. Chef Moore emphasized, "It's all about organization, attention to detail, quality craftsmanship, and the art of learning through repetition, increasing speed without compromising quality."
Ensuring uniformity and presentation perfection, each cookie finds its designated spot in every box. Students follow a diagram, guaranteeing that each box is a mirror image of the others. The large boxes generously hold nine to ten dozen cookies, while the smaller boxes delightfully contain five to six dozen.
Robert Hickman, a Bakery and Pastry Arts junior from Columbia, was excited and nervous about this large undertaking. “Our class did a good job with this project, and we finished in time. It is just so many cookies that you have to have a system in place to make it all work. We learned about time management and teamwork too."
The customer traveling the furthest distance for this annual sale is Marilyn Rittmeyer, driving in from the Chicago area! “I am sure I am the most distant customer,” Rittmeyer shared in an email written to Chef Moore. “I drove from the Chicago area for pickup at 1:00 pm and am now back home enjoying the luscious cookies and I am so impressed!”
This year, 162 large boxes and 145 small boxes were ordered. The cookies are pre-sold with the sale beginning in early November.
According to Moore, the funds generated help cover the cost of supplies, but most of the money is put into the program’s activity account that follows the students into their senior year. The funds are then used toward their chef jackets and annual awards banquet.