Student by day, chef by night, 17-year-old Jonathan Massaad was bitten by the baking bug at a young age. From 11 he was dabbling in supermarket cake mixes and decorations – these days, his artworks are somewhat more elaborate.

"Most of my things are different [from] what everybody else does," he says, pointing to desserts such as his beakers filled with Milo panna cotta and topped with Maltesers. Nutella, fudge, chocolate figure prominently – the sweeter and more colourful, the better.

Jonathan is riding a trend toward bespoke, Instagrammable treats that take people back to their childhood – think Canberra's famed "freakshakes" or Kayter co's coconuts festooned with chocolate bars and lollipops. His success was kick-started a year ago when event stylist Mary Nehme latched on and ordered his desserts for her functions.

"She opened doors for him and after that he went crazy," says Gladys Daoud, Jonathan's aunt and partner in cream. While he's busy taking year 11 exams at St Paul's Catholic College in Greystanes, she works the phones and answers emails, mostly from corporate clients.

Jonathan's business Sugar High Desserts has 19,500 followers on Instagram and he is scheduled to appear on Channel 10's The Living Room.

"He's very passionate about what he does and he puts his heart and soul into it," says Ms Dauod. "He's got a very big future ahead of him."