Once a season, students might find tables set up by the flagpole at lunch. Pastries and desserts of delicious flavors, decorations, and designs are displayed for the campus to see. A poster is found hung before the table, reading “All proceeds will be donated to Feeding America.” Signs were posted in multiple buildings, leading students to the knoll.

But who are the bakers, coordinators, and leaders behind the Baked With Love club? What impact has the club had on the school community?

Nhu-An Phan ‘26 is the president and founder of the Baked With Love club. The freshman started the club with a strong interest in baking and business, yet still wanted to make a positive difference in the community. Phan also believed that students would appreciate baking as a stress-relieving activity from rigorous schoolwork.

Her final plan? Bake and sell pastries, allowing bakers full reign over their prices in order to learn how to manage their sellings, and combine the earnings to donate to a charity. This first year, the board members were unable to allow bakers the flexibility of managing their own prices, but hope to add this feature to the club next year.

The club bake sales center around two member positions: bakers and sellers. Keira Thompson ‘26, a board member of the club, explains, “My role in the Baked With Love bake sales is to be a server. I collect money and give people their baked goods.” Servers are quick on their feet, knowing which pastries can accommodate to which dietary restrictions and are able to quickly exchange and handle money.

Kyla O’Donnell, a board member of the club, adds, “My role in Baked With Love is the designer. I create handmade posters and post them around the school to inform everyone about the next bake sale. As a member, I also bake goods to sell at the sales, or sell them at the stand.”

This two-position setup would prove to be efficient as the club managed to plan and prepare two bake sales this year. Phan explains, “When I started the club, my first goal was to help it grow as much as possible. I wanted it to be a well-known club that a lot of people can reference, even if it’s new.”

The process of setting up a bake sale requires weeks of preparation in advance. Phan first pitches the date to Ms. Rhodes, who supplies the club with two tables in front of the flagpole. A meeting is then held where a sign-up sheet is available to be filled out by members. Fifteen bakers and ten sellers positions are assigned to various members.

In two bake sales alone, the club has raised $337 to be donated to Feeding America. The leftover baked goods are redistributed to bakers and teachers, or donated to the Lo Posada Guadalupe Homeless Shelter of Catholic Charities.

These announcements are featured on their Instagram page @cchsdonsbakedwlove. The posts illustrate a common theme with shades of brown and red, decorated by Phan herself.

Phan describes, “I want Baked With Love to have a specific image in the school. When I designed the logo and made the Instagram posts, I made sure to stay in theme.” This is apparent in their newest merch launch as well.

The Baked With Love hoodies were hand designed by Phan, with two colors available for students to purchase. Both the beige and black colored hoodies feature a red star in the front, and the club logo on the back. The hoodies were recently up for sale in March and were distributed in mid-April.

“We’re hoping to have more hoodie sales next year. The advertising for it wasn’t big enough and people asked me about them after I already placed the order,” Phan states.

Still, a student might occasionally find a club member or officer sporting the merchandise across campus. Most club officers own the apparel, and the club hopes to have the entire board with the hoodies by the next school year.

These board members not only support the club’s merchandise, but are also key players in the organization of bake sales. Phan, the president, is in charge of communications, meeting dates, and the sign up list. Hong-An Phan ‘24, is the Vice President who manages the club donations and assists with other management decisions. As mentioned before, O’Donnell is the designer of the club’s posters, Thompson is the sales manager, and the final two officers- Hannah Wong ‘24 and Camila Abramowitz ‘24- are the co-event coordinators.

The Baked With Love club is a prominent organization on campus. With its assistance to charities, club participation, and student support, it has a bright future that can be seen even in its first year at Cathedral.

Have you heard of the Baked With Love club? There is a chance to see the compelling bake sales soon! The club will be hosting their final bake sale of this year on Friday, May 19, with more details to come soon. Meet at the flagpole alongside crowds of students and see for yourself whether this club deserves its praise.