Assignment #5, Dayanim

Hodaya Novich, 20, poses by a ring light in her apartment in College Park, Md., on Thursday, March 2, 2023. Novich, a sophomore computer science major at this university, runs a kosher baked goods business called "Desserts by Daya." (Dayanim/JOUR368N)

Novich arranges her ingredients before baking several batches of "pink velvet cookies." (Dayanim/JOUR368N)

Novich reaches into a 28 pound bag of flour. Due to increasing demand for her baked goods, Novich recently started purchasing ingredients in bulk. (Dayanim/JOUR368N)

The recipe is an original. "I like to mess around and create dynamic recipes so that I can give people something a little different," said Novich. (Dayanim/JOUR368N) 

Novich places her cookie dough in the oven. (Dayanim/JOUR368N)

While the cookies bake, Novich concocts a frosting in the kitchen. (Dayanim/JOUR368N)

Once cooled, Novich pipes frosting onto her cookies from a Ziploc bag. "I'm a student and these [bags] cost less money than piping bags," said Novich. (Dayanim/JOUR368N)

Novich also manages her own social media accounts. A recent Tiktok of her creations received over 10,000 views. (Dayanim/JOUR368N) 

Novich's pink velvet cookies will be served at a bridal shower on Sunday. "It's my biggest order yet," she said. (Dayanim/JOUR368N)