Super Dans are smart cookies
Like many kids of his age, 12-year-old Daniel-Jack Forrester lists his favourite activities as cycling, swimming and dodgeball. Unlike most kids, Daniel-Jack is training to be a baker.
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Like many kids of his age, 12-year-old Daniel-Jack Forrester lists his favourite activities as cycling, swimming and playing dodgeball. PE is his favourite subject. Unlike most kids, Daniel-Jack already has a long-term career in mind: he’s training to be a baker.
“From a young age, my dad, who is a chef, has been teaching me how to bake,” Daniel, who has autism, writes on his Facebook page DJ’s Cookies & More, which started in March.
“Dad tells me not to be a baker,” says Daniel-Jack. “He says you have to wake up too early, the kitchens are too hot and the pay is terrible.”
But this hasn’t put the Year 7 student off. He’s creating cookies that he sells at his dad’s DJ’s Cafe at Marden as well as three other cafes: DT’s Tuckerbox in Reynella, Just Brew It in Semaphore, and Mischief and Mayhem on the Broadway at Glenelg, and he has been giving 10 per cent of his profits to Autism SA.
“I feel like if we pay that 10 per cent to the world then the world is going to give us good things back; maybe some nice comments,” Daniel-Jack says.
“I assist my dad with the baking side of the business, while he handles the rest.”
“Dad’s” name is Daniel, too.
“We chose cookies because they’re something that I could do with my son when we first started up. They’re simple and easy to produce,” Daniel says.
“But soon we realised we needed to find somewhere to bake the product on site. It was too difficult to bake it at home.
“I run the school canteen at Marden Senior College three days a week and they were kind enough to let me run the cookie business from there,” he says.
Because the Marden College café is designated as a training café, the teachers and students are aware that the staff, including bakers, might not be as quick and sure when it comes to service.
This has allowed Daniel to take on five students from Autism SA.
“They’re going to come in every Wednesday,” says Daniel. “Autism SA hadn’t been able to find anyone at all to take them on – for free volunteer work. It’s so frustrating.
“They’ll help us in the canteen area and with the baking – a bit of both. They’ll help with service during the canteen lunch and they’ll help make some of the products as well.
“We’re in a perfect environment here at the school because the teachers and students realise it’s going to take five minutes longer to get their meal or coffee – but we’re helping other people try to gain employment.”
When it comes to selling cookies, young Daniel-Jack is a natural. “I must say my favourite is a choc cookie with white choc chips. It looks like a biscuit but tastes like a brownie.
“We do a baked cheesecake, a New York cheesecake, vanilla slices, carrot cake, brownies and banana bread.
“The banana bread is most fun to make – peeling bananas, adding the cream in, and the cinnamon. Cinnamon is my favourite spice.”
DJ’s Cookies & More also sells direct to the public via Facebook. Or you could just leave some nice comments.