By Ethan Lay
Staff Writer
The fresh aroma of baked cookies fills the air as junior Lylah Abdallah pulls a golden batch from the oven, carefully decorating each with her signature style to perfect them for sale. Baking hundreds of goods for friends, family and students alike, Abdallah turns her passion into a thriving business, transforming her homemade snacks into a school favorite.
I started baking around the second semester of last year,” Abdallah said. “It was mainly just for fun [but] my friends would try my brownies and text me in all caps saying, ‘This is really good.’
Abdallah began baking sweets for people during her second semester of sophomore year, distributing them during snack, break or lunch. Taking inspiration from recipes on TikTok and Pinterest, her menu includes a variety of goods—such as breads, cookies, and cakes—while also taking custom orders.
“My favorite thing to make is probably the banana bread because it comes out really good every time and is my best-selling item,” Abdallah said. “It’s either that or my red velvet cookies. I try to focus more on the flavor by adding my own twist to the recipes. But I can literally make any cookie, just name it.”
Abdallah bakes and prepares her orders throughout the week, taking in requests primarily through direct messaging on her Instagram account or in person. With many customers returning for repeat orders, she dedicates her weekends focusing on improving the quality of her products while balancing her other responsibilities with school.
“Some things like the banana bread take over an hour to bake, but they all come out really good,” Abdallah said. “But the hardest part is probably the timing. You have to get the timing and the temperature perfectly, otherwise the items can come out wrong.
Abdallah plans on adding exclusive items to her menu in order to appeal to new customers’ taste. From fall festive items to winter wonder treats, Abdallah experiments with new flavors, following seasonal trends on social media, while also adjusting to her customer’s needs.
“Right now it’s fall season, so I’m making pumpkin loaves, banana-pumpkin breads, and pumpkin spice cookies,” said Abdallah. “For Chrstimas, I’m probably going to do something gingerbread or peppermint flavored, just like festive treats.”
In the future, Abdallah dreams of opening a local bakery and expanding her business so more people can enjoy her cooking.
“Opening a bakery would be super cute and is something I really want to do in the future,” said Abdallah. “It might be a cafe or a shop, but I really want to make what I think others will like.”
Outside of her business, Abdallah plays varsity flag football and sings for Brighterside.
“Start up slow [and] don’t give up”, said Abdallah. “ It takes a lot of practice and the more practice you do, the better you’ll get.