East Brunswick Teen Sets Up Baking Business Amid Pandemic

EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ – An East Brunswick teenager is starting her own baking business with a delicious twist. And it's the right kind of flavor for people starving for something to do amid a pandemic.

Upscale Bakesale is a venture by 18-year-old Sara Aguilar, who invented the Scookee — a delectable cross between a scone and a cookie. “It’s my invention, patent pending,” said Aguilar.

Aguilar’s products are gluten free, with a focus on feel-good food. And just like the scookee, she has other inventions up her sleeve. Upscale Bakesale takes regular bakes and gives it a sophisticated twist, to make it fancy.

Aguilar started her business after the pandemic forced her to sit home.

“I was doing special events and side gigs before the pandemic. Then things began to slow down. I needed to adapt, so I started to concentrate on setting up my business. And that’s what I did all through quarantine,” said Aguilar.

A student of marketing and business at Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York, Aguilar is working on setting up a wholesale business to sells her baked goods to a variety of supermarkets, farmers markets, and through an online store.

Aguilar began baking when in school. She would take her baked goods to East Brunswick High School, for every cross-country meet, and when hanging out with friends. “I became known as the person who always had baked goods with me. It was my way of introducing myself and showing my love through food” she said.

“My mom told me I couldn’t keep giving out my bakes for free, so I started charging for them. Everyone in East Brunswick High School would come to me to buy baked goods.”

Aguilar spent two summers interning at Eleven Madison Park, where she learnt more about baking. “I had never worked in a professional kitchen. It was an intense setting, but I was fascinated by it,” she said.

Baking was also therapeutic for the teen, who suffered from an eating disorder. Aguilar struggled with anxiety and body image issues, so she took her bakes to school to avoid eating them.

“There is so much pressure on women to look a certain way. Baking healed me. It taught me that my self-worth didn’t come from other places, but from myself,” she said.

One of the reasons Augilar’s products are gluten free is to promote a healthier way of eating. “I want to promote the idea of intuitive eating. I realized that eating gluten free bakes made me feel a lot better,” she said.

Currently, Aguilar is taking her classes online, which leaves her with more time to experiment with her bakes.

“I was supposed to move to the city, but I guess things worked out and now I have the chance to establish my business in my own community. I’m going to concentrate more on marketing my business now,” she said.

Aguilar is also working with organizations like Elijah’s Promise, a food advocacy group and the Alliance for Eating Disorders Awareness. “Getting to be in their kitchen and helping them out will be cool. I’ll get to see who I'll help,” she said.

The teen has started a GoFundMe page to help reach her career goals.

“Society is brutal and puts a lot of pressure on young people and entrepreneurs. I only hope to share my journey of healing through my bakes,” she said.

Click here for Aguilar’s GoFundMe page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/upscale-bakesale?sharetype=teams&member=5343334&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=388c04f9fa284f31a5eba55b4acd80c4

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