Every weekday Carole Rader bakes over 1,000 cookies for Ohio Northern University students.
And that’s for starters. From doughnuts to brownies to lemon bars, she is responsible for all the sweet treats offered in McIntosh Center, baking nonstop from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
“I do it for the people. The kids are awesome. Each year it seems they get politer. I hear lots of ‘thank you for your hard work’ and ‘thank you for doing this.’”
Carole joined Sodexo three years ago, moving to Ada from West Virginia to be near her grandchildren. She worked in the deli and salad bar before Chef Rob Rousseau asked her to become ONU’s resident baker.
“I said absolutely! Baking is what I love to do!”
Carole’s mom was a cake decorator, and she taught Carole her secrets. Decorating cakes is Carole’s favorite task because she gets to be creative.
“I like the look of surprise on people’s faces when they see what I’ve created.”
Sodexo sets aside one day a month to celebrate the students who have birthdays that month, and Carole often decorates a cake connected to the month’s birthday theme. Devising a Sponge Bob-themed cake was the most fun, she said.
Warm Cookie Wednesdays is another ONU tradition. Carole greets students in the cafeteria every Wednesday with trays of cookies straight from the oven. The overwhelming favorite of Polar Bears? Chocolate chip.
After spending her days in ONU’s kitchen, Carole has little interest in baking at home. But she shared with us a recipe she remembers her mom making all the time: No-Bake Preacher Cookies.
“She never told me why it was called that, but I suspect it was because it was a quick and easy cookie she could make when the preacher was coming to visit, and he came to dinner almost every Sunday.”
Enjoy, and Happy Holidays Polar Bears!
