The sliced Granny Smith apples are laid out on the counter, dirty pots and pans piled high in the sink while four sticks of butter brown over the stove. A playlist of French and 2015 pop music blares throughout the kitchen as Aryth Coleman, senior, concocts one of her favorite recipes; bourbon apple crisp. She dances in her polyester white apron, rolling dough on her great aunt’s 30-year-old pie sheet. 

This recipe is just one of Coleman’s many creations — mooncakes, banana bread, ratatouille, macarons, taiyaki, you name it. Whether it is orchestrating family dinners, decorating pastries at a bakery or crafting recipes for her friends to taste, Coleman said when cooking, she likes to try a variety of recipes. She describes her baking style as more creative than structured. 

“I feel like I’m the most non-baker baker,” Coleman said. “A lot of people told me that baking is chemistry and you have to do it very specifically, but I wing it half of the time. I don’t really measure as much as I think I should, so I guess my technique is not using any techniques.”

What started as a hobby for Coleman has now turned into a possible future career for her. Coleman works at Bello’s Bakery, located on Manchester Road, where she decorates items such as cakes and cookies. She said Head Baker Beni Bello and her have talked about Coleman possibly running the bakery after he retires. Currently, Coleman is planning to go to college for a business degree, and she said she might take over once she graduates.

“In order to be successful, you should not have just the desire to become a baker or a decorator, but [you’ve] got to have it,” Bello said. “I do believe that she has an it for [baking] and the passion. You know, one day she might take over this, and I do believe she has the it for taking it over.”