The caramelized, buttery aroma of freshly baked cookies wafts through the grassy area between the C and D buildings. The excited clamor dies down as students gradually assemble into a messy line for sophomore Elva Tang’s cookies. Sophomore Roshan Saxena, one of the many students in line, waits in anticipation to get his hands on one of Tang’s Jumbo Cookies.
Saxena is one of Tang’s most loyal customers, and has purchased about two or three cookies from every cookie sale since Tang began her cookie business almost a year ago. He was first introduced to Tang’s business in their freshman Biology class, where he bought a chocolate chip cookie from her. Some of the many reasons that Saxena prefers Tang’s baked goods are its quality and accessibility.
“Being able to buy cookies at brunch and lunch is helpful because that’s when I’m the most hungry, and traditional cookies just don’t hit the same,” Saxena said. “The soft, chewy texture of Elva’s cookies make them much better than your average chocolate chip cookie.”
Three years prior, Tang was bored during the pandemic, and decided to join Kennedy Middle School’s baking club on a whim. Eventually, her peers, who really enjoyed her creations, convinced her to sell them at school, transforming her love for baking from one of her many hobbies to a small business that she works hard to manage along with her sports commitments and education.
Over the months, the business has grown to be more efficient, yielding a larger profit per batch, partially due to Tang’s increase in price from one dollar per cookie to two dollars per cookie. Despite some complaints about the price, she says her most loyal customers deem her cookies worth it. In fact, Saxena has noticed a growth in the customer base and the types of cookies in spite of the price change.
The business’s evolution over the past year has paralleled a change in Tang’s character, Tang says. When she realized that her cookies’ low prices weren’t representative of what her time and energy was worth, Tang had a boost in self-confidence, leading to the decision to increase the price of her products. Junior Jocelyn Zou, Tang’s close friend and supporter, noticed other changes in Tang after the start of her business.
“She’s definitely become more organized,” Zou said. “She’s also put together better methods of organizing her customers and cookies, and has gotten better at advertising. She started an Instagram account for her cookies and she’s been posting more, which has been helping her. She’s also been more social and telling people she meets about her cookie business.”
As a result of these additions and changes, running the business along with balancing academics, volleyball, badminton and various clubs has been challenging for Tang. Due to the high demand for cookies, Tang sometimes has trouble finding enjoyment in baking amidst the stress of running her business.
“Sometimes I feel like baking is a chore I need to complete rather than something I do for fun, and I’ve stayed up until 2 a.m. or 3 a.m. baking cookies which gets to be a little overwhelming to say the least,” Tang said. “It’s ironic, since an activity I used to relieve my stress with has become something I stress about often.”
In preparation of busier years ahead, Tang aims to create a baking schedule for herself to help mitigate the effects of her increased stress. She also hopes to expand her business by creating a website. Despite the exhausting aspects of running a business, Tang finds fulfillment in watching her business succeed.
“I’ve been baking so much, which gets overwhelming, but at the same time, it makes me really happy baking and selling the cookies,” Tang said. “I love seeing the rush of people lining up and purchasing the cookies I baked.”
