During the pandemic, flour, eggs and other baking supplies were as hard to find as hand sanitizer and toilet paper. While everyone was stuck at home, they turned to baking. Bread. Muffins. Cookies. Basically, anything that took their mind off what was going on in the world.
Case in point for Chicago mom-to-be Carla Medina Jacobson, who was baking during the pandemic and realized how hard it was to find good recipes and source the right amount of ingredients. In fact, she still has a tub of cocoa powder sitting in her cabinet for a cake recipe she made two years ago that required only one teaspoon.
Thinking “there had to be a better way,” she teamed up with her best friend and fellow University of Chicago Booth School of Business grad Shelly Gupta to launch BāKIT Box this year.
BāKIT Box is a delivery box service that provides all of the pre-measured ingredients to bake everything from zucchini sweet potato bread and strawberry shortcake to salted chocolate chip cookies and burger buns, with easy-to-follow instructions. The product is geared towards families.
“Baking together is a great opportunity for family bonding,” says Jacobson.
How BāKIT Box works
Customers can order a box at their level of difficulty (ranging from easy to advanced) to be delivered to their home within a few weeks. They’ll receive an insulated box with pre-measured ingredients (packaged individually) and a recipe card. Most recipes take between 60 to 90 minutes from start to finish. Video tutorials for several products can be found on their website.
Jacobson and Gupta – both self-proclaimed foodies with no formal culinary training – create and test the recipes themselves, drawing inspiration from their upbringing. Jacobson is from Puerto Rico and Gupta, from Canada, is of Indian heritage.
“We were raised in very diverse households,” says Gupta. “We believe kids should have a fun, tangible experience into someone else’s culture to really understand it. And they get that by making some of the delicious recipes we offer.”
Cultural fan favorites from BāKIT Box include tres leches, mini empanadas and hot cross buns.
Jacobson, whose company currently ships within the Chicagoland area, said BāKIT Box provides a great opportunity for busy parents to participate in an engaging activity with their kids.
“We purposely try to create recipes on the easy side so kids can fully participate,” she says. “We want them to be involved every step of the way from cracking eggs to mixing dry ingredients, and, of course, their favorite — tasting.”
Boxes range from $25-$30. Visit bakitbox.com for more information.
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I love my BakitBox orders!! They are so easy and fun to make!