Have you ever noticed that desserts is stressed spelled backwards? Indeed a bit of sugary goodness can go a long way towards fixing many problems. Or, at least, take the edge off.
Twelve-year old Samantha Engineer is busy making the world a better place, one cookie at a time. Well, actually more than one at a time, as her sweet creations are definitely sold in multiples.
Samantha moved to Caledon’s Southfields from Brampton about 6 years ago. During the Covid lockdown she became, like many others, an online student.
“It did give me a little more free time” she explains “so I started to experiment with different recipes and that is when I perfected my cookies.”
The St Evans Catholic Elementary School student says the timing seemed perfect to do something she loved plus give back to the community.
“Starting in February 2021 I began selling my cookies and other baked goods on the weekends and paying the profits forward.”
Samantha says that about 50% of her sales from Samantha’s Sweets is retained to cover baking ingredients, packaging, and other costs, with the remaining 50% being paid forward.
So far this skilled baker with a big heart has donated $450 to her school, $650 to Sick Kids, and supplied 50 dinner meals to Peel Paramedics. She has also donated to Autism Speaks Canada, to individual families for help with therapy, and frequently does drive-through pay-it-forwards. In total the generous young entrepreneur estimates that she has donated about $2,500 to date.
While her cookies have remained her best seller Samantha also bakes brownies, scones, muffins, donuts and cheesecakes.
Items can be purchased as singles or in boxes of six. Bulk orders and custom orders are accepted. Samantha affixes a bow and her business card to each purchase. Ingredient labels are added as well.
Samantha says one of the biggest difficulties is “getting noticed by others and having them trust that my product is worth its value.”
For other youth entrepreneurs her advice is “Do things that you love. You have to go for it. You have to start to succeed.”
Samantha’s baking, homemade with love, is available to view and purchase via her Instagram account at Samanthas.Sweets_YoungBaker
She can also be reached by email at engineer_samantha@hotmail.com
