Delicious New Club Attracts Bakers

By Daniel Hanower

Living on campus, students may feel deprived of fulfilling their cooking and baking hobbies. The lack of kitchen time calls for a new way to enjoy fresh baked goods and share them with others, but two Santa Clara students have found a way to do just that.

While studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Samantha Meredith and Melissa Bica brainstormed how to bring their passion back to school. Meredith and Bica met during their new student orientation and have since realized their shared interest in baking.

The students both joined the baking society at the University of Edinburgh and loved it.

"We told each other when we were there that we would (come) back and start one together," said Bica. Over the past quarter, that idea became a reality.

The group now meets in a Casa Italiana conference room each Sunday night to share their delicious creations. The club votes on a theme for the week's baked goods, giving each meeting a different feel and atmosphere.

"Last week was Mother's Day and we had a muffin theme," said Meredith. Each week the club decides together what the following meetings' theme will be.

The group has already attracted several members, and now meetings include around 15 people, all bringing in various baked goods. While the theme may always be different, there are a few things that are the same about each of these meetings and keeps members coming back for more each week.

First, the club is always open minded about the baked goods that get brought in. This means that even bakers with little or no experience are still welcomed to bring something to the meetings, where members pass around all the delicious food, drink tea and talk amongst friends.

"We're open to anyone coming every week, and we are definitely trying to expand to more people," said Bica.

The group also plans to expand its activities beyond their current activities. In particular, they are interested in helping out with bake sales for other clubs, although this idea has yet to happen.

"(It's) fun to bake with your friends ... baking is a communal activity," said Meredith.

Contact Daniel Hanower at dhanower@scu.edu.