32 | FEBRUARY 18 • 2021 

L

ike most of the world, 
I found comfort in 
the kitchen during 
COVID-19 lockdowns. Baking 
has always been a passion of 
mine, but it wasn’t until a global 
pandemic that I 
realized it is what 
I am meant to do. 
To document 
my baking jour-
ney, I started 
a brand called 
JBBakes (@
jbbakes_ on 
Instagram) in March of 2020. 
It began as a creative outlet 
to share the things I was bak-
ing with friends and family, 
and it became so much more. 
Throughout the summer, 
JBBakes grew from a hobby into 
my very own small business.
With a small following at 
home, I was so eager to bring 
JBBakes back to East Lansing. I 
immediately felt the support of 
my friends and my community. 
The Michigan State Hillel staff 
not only supported my dreams, 
but also embraced my business. 
I received an overwhelming 
amount of support not only 
from a sales aspect, but also by 
being given a platform.

HILLEL CIRCLES
This upcoming semester I 
will be leading a baking club 

through MSU Hillel’s new 
program, MSU Hillel Circles. 
This program gives students a 
space to meet people with sim-
ilar interests by joining a niche 
shared interest group called a 
circle, plan programs for the 
group and gain leadership expe-
rience. 
Over the next few months, 
I will have the opportunity 
to teach my peers about the 
fundamentals of baking as well 
as collaborate with them on 
new and exciting techniques. I 
am looking forward to talking 
about everything from the 
creaming method, to adding 
our own spin to classics like 
rugelach and hamantashen. 
When I moved to Michigan 
from New York for school, I 
was nervous about the change 
in culture and pace. I didn’t 
think there would be a place 
for me to fit in until I went to 
MSU Hillel. Now, almost four 
years later, I owe so much of 
my personal and professional 
growth to the staff, students and 
community at Hillel. I am so 
grateful for the overwhelming 
support here at Michigan State, 
and I am so excited to share my 
love of baking with my fellow 
Jewish students. @

Julia Bretschneider, 21, of Melville, 

N.Y., is a senior at Michigan State 

University studying nutritional sciences.

Julia 
Bretschneider

Julia Bretschneider of JBBakes 
with her baked goods.

for college students 
by college students

New MSU Hillel Circles program connects 
people with shared interests.

Butter, Flour
and Hillel

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