At Shadow Ridge High School, Taylor McEvoy, a dedicated senior, has transformed her love for baking into a cherished hobby while balancing school, work, and extracurricular activities. Though she is not running a business yet, she dreams of one day turning her passion into a career. Baking has always been a significant part of her life, and she finds joy in sharing her homemade treats with others.
“I love how close we all can become to each other,” she shared about her experience at Shadow Ridge. “Students, teachers, coaches, and sports teams all get so close and take care of each other.”
This sense of community has encouraged McEvoy to share her baked goods, particularly her specialty, cake pops.
“I only really sell cake pops,” she said. “Sometimes family and friends will ask me to bake like a hundred cupcakes for a graduation party or cookies for their office party potlucks.”
The idea of selling baked goods came naturally. As a frequent stress-baker, she often brought extra treats to school, where classmates eagerly accepted them.
“My mom always jokes that I have been a businesswoman since I was little, able to convince anyone they need what I am trying to sell,” she laughed. “Naturally, when I was constantly stress-baking in amounts that no normal household can finish, I would bring them to school and hand them out to anyone who wanted one. Everyone kept telling me that if I were to be selling them, they would buy.”
While she has sold some of her baked goods, McEvoy has yet to officially turn it into a business.
Managing her responsibilities has not been easy. “Sometimes with school and work, finding time for baking and cooking can feel impossible, and with flag football in the winter, I was really struggling to have any time for my hobbies,” McEvoy admitted.
Despite these challenges, she remains committed to her education and hopes to graduate with honors.
Her ultimate goal is to enter the culinary field and pursue formal training.
“Besides graduating, and hopefully with honors, I hope to make it to culinary school. It sounds delusional, but I am praying to go to culinary school in Italy,” she shared.
For now, McEvoy continues to bake in her free time, perfecting her craft and holding onto the dream of one day turning her passion into a career.
