By Juli Cocomazzi

One of the most exciting parts of life is discovering what your passion is. Whether it be photography, painting, politics or working out, it all comes down to what makes you the happiest. Fortunately for Sophie Picard, a junior at HHS, she was not only able to discover one of her passions, but make a profit from it. Her passion? Baking.

The Baker’s Background

Sophie is a jack of all trades, finding expertise and talent in a wide range of hobbies. Her forte is undoubtedly in the arts, as she’s been an active member of the school music department since the fifth grade and has played the flute, bassoon and saxophone. She is gifted in drawing and is an avid reader/writer. Her talent even extends into the martial arts as she also practices karate. Sophie is a brilliant mind and a progressive thinker. You’ll never meet a more open-minded and accepting individual. Sophie’s love for baking started as a child when her grandmother taught her a couple of her recipes. Sophie says she instantly loved it and knew she wanted to keep going with it on her own. 

Selling The Goods

Every time Sophie baked, she would share her goods with friends and family. It’s no surprise they were always a hit. Her close friends were actually the ones who gave her the idea to sell her treats after they tasted their potential. With an encouraging amount of confidence and support, Sophie was able kick-start her baking business last week. The first product  on the chopping block was her show-stopping cheesecake brownie. For $2 a piece, she sold nearly all of them on the first day.

To make those first sales, Sophie relied mainly on word of mouth. Throughout that first day, she met people between classes and during lunch to collect their money and deliver their treats. Some satisfied customers approached her in class, sought her out during a lunch/ break period, or texted her in advance to meet in between periods. People were determined to get their hands on one of her delicious brownies.

“I didn’t expect it to go so well as it did, I thought I would only sell a couple and that was fine,” Sophie said. “It was harder to meet with people who wanted brownies during the school day than I thought it’d be. It’d probably be better to mostly sell them before or after school next time.”

With the positive feedback she received, she says she’s excited to try it again. From this first day of sales, she was able to see what went well and what could be improved upon in the future. For starters, she is going to make some more time in her schedule to prioritize her baked good endeavors and brainstorm ideas to make the selling process more efficient. She has an array of recipes she’s excited to try out. Some stellar treats she’s made in the past include snickerdoodle cupcakes, s’mores cupcakes, cinnamon rolls, banana bread and blueberry scones. With innovation and perseverance, she plans to perfect her craft and develop her business plan to meet its highest potential.

To reach a wider audience, she has begun posting announcements on her Instagram story, informing her followers of the available product and the pricing. Those who respond to her post are able to reserve the amount they desire. Otherwise, Sophie runs a first-come, first-served type of business. You can follow her at sophs_sweets17 to keep posted on her baked good drop dates.

When opportunity knocks, you answer, and that’s exactly what Sophie did. With her innate problem-solving, leadership, and entrepreneurial skills, she was able to reap the benefits of doing what she loves. She is a positive and inspiring role model for her peers and future high schoolers, and perhaps an inspiration for you to shine a new light on your own passions.