Yedidya Kowalski is an 8-year-old boy, a third-grade student at a public school in the Givat Mordechai neighborhood of Jerusalem. Up to this point, everything is routine, like thousands of other children his age.
But Yiddia is no ordinary child. That's what happens when you open a confectionery, under the supervision of the Badatz, at such a young age.
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It all started about a year ago. During one of the lockdowns, Yedidia's friends decided to start baking cookies. He had a recipe for chocolate chip cookies, and he decided to take advantage of the time, since there were no classes, to try the recipe - and made cookies.
When he was finished, he let his family taste his creation - and everyone was thrilled. The cookies were gone within minutes.
A family member filmed her friend making the cookies, and the idea that followed was to open an online website to sell cookies.
Her friend, who is studying computer science at school, opened a website for himself, and customers began calling his parents to order cookies.
""As soon as I receive an order, it depends on what is ordered," says Yedidia in a conversation with Haredim 10. "I check if I can prepare it. If so, I call back and say yes.".
Says the mother Leah: "A year ago, one morning he was bored. He decided to bake cookies. He took a recipe - and within minutes the cookies were gone. It was very successful and delicious. I told him, if it's so good, make it again. There were a few more times he made all kinds of cookies. People who came to our house said they wanted them too.".
""I said, maybe you'll sell on Shabbat, advertise that you're selling. You can order on Wednesday, Thursday, you can bake it - and bring it to people in honor of Shabbat. We sold to family and neighbors. Her friend, who loves computers, opened a website for himself. Now it's neighbors and family, I want it to be advertised outside of that...
""We started getting calls. As his mother, I didn't think I would get calls. There were calls with orders, people wanting to come at that moment. We get baking orders, and he makes all kinds of cookies.".
What do customers say?
""Wow - we're excited at first that he's an eight-year-old boy. His recipes are very successful. And he presents them to the customer beautifully. Her friends, thank God, also enjoy it - and that's important.".
Yedidia even received a surprising call from former minister Amir Ohana's spokesman, who asked the 8-year-old pastry chef to make the minister a birthday cake.
The mother: "We received a call from Minister Ohana's spokesperson who said, Minister Ohana has a birthday today, and we want to order a cake. I told him it's the eight-year-old boy, and he mostly makes cookies.".
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