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Baked Goods By Dominic

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Okemos, MI
Baked Goods By Dominic

Dominic is a 21-year-old with Autism, ADHD, Anxiety Disorder, Epilepsy and an Intellectual Disability. We are a Michigan Cottage Food Business!

06/08/2026

Day #5 of Summer Break 2026. Dominic had a doctor's appointment this morning. Mom typically does the ENTIRE appointment from beginning to end. On the way to the appointment, mom told Dominic that he was going to be in "charge" of his appointment. Mom has always answered for him, never giving him the opportunity! Mom told him to say, "I'm here for my appointment" to the receptionist when she asked, "how can I help you?" She asked his name and he said, "Dominic." She told us to take a seat. When the nurse came to get us, he had to get weighed first. He automatically took off his shoes and got weighed. We then went into the room, and the nurse took his blood pressure, temperature and pulse. She then asked him his date of birth, he said, "July 25, 2004." When the doctor came in, mom told her that Dominic was going to answer her questions. He did beyond AMAZING! He gave mom the biggest smile and mom gave him a couple "high 5's!"

06/06/2026

Day #3 of Summer Break 2026! The Mid-Michigan Autism Association was asked to be part of the Bath Township Public Library's Summer Kick Off Party today. The event was 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. they made their event Sensory Friendly! Even at almost 22 years old, Dominic LOVES the bubbles!!

06/05/2026

Day #2 of summer break - two orders! The frosted chocolate brownies were part of our first order that went to a customer that has ordered from us 47 times!! The second order was to the DeWitt Area Recreation Authority for their Social Night for Teens and Adults with Disabilities. The "theme" was a "Beach Party." We used crushed up graham crackers for the "sand" and some Teddy Grahams for the "beach goers." We then put a beach "umbrella" to make sure the Teddy Grahams are protected from the sun! 😉

06/04/2026

Day #1 of summer break - Walmart (to get items for our business and the Mid-Michigan Autism Association), Kroger (grocery shop and return bottles/cans) and lastly, get gas for the car. When Dominic was younger, doing three different things in a row would have been something mom would never have attempted! Just taking him, grocery shopping was too overwhelming. When Dominic got up this morning, mom told him our "schedule" for the day. Dominic read a chapter of his book to mom. Starting at 10 a.m., mom had two back-to-back virtual meetings, then Dominic would have lunch, then mom would have lunch and then we would do our three different things. Mom had a list for Walmart and Kroger. The Kroger list was broken down into different sections of the store (produce, frozen, etc.). Headphones and his fidgets are a must. Mom was thinking that he has come such a long way from those early days of Autism! Just a bit of extra planning and letting Dominic know the "routine," cuts down on a lot of anxiety for both mom and Dom!!

06/03/2026

Dominic's last day of work at Peckham Inc. for the 2025/2026 school year was today. Since Dominic doesn't have a lot of expressive language, mom has relied on what his boss has said on his two Progress Reports. He got one from January 2026 to March 2026 and from March 2026 to June 2026. These two parts of the Progress Report from March 2026 to June 2026 in particular stood out: "Dominic continues to do well managing himself, his behavior, and his emotions. He is quiet, polite, and can advocate for himself." "It is believed that with the right fit, Dominic would be successful in an independent employment setting." Given this was Dominic's first experience working for pay, mom didn't know quite what to expect. It sounds like Dominic is on the right "track" and mom is very proud of him! He will be continuing to work at Peckham in the Fall of 2026.😉

05/31/2026

One "trait" of Autism that mom has heard for a very long time (and still hears) is that those with Autism may have a hard time telling or understanding jokes and/or have a sense of humor. Dominic still struggles with jokes, but mom can tell you with 100% certainty that he does have a sense of humor! The picture below is from Dominic's maternal grandparents' house. Above moms' head is a cuckoo clock. There are chains hanging down. For a long time, every time we would visit his "Grandpa Mike and Grandma Martha" Dominic would pull the chains down and then run away. It would get Grandpa Mike all riled up and he would scold Dominic. Mom tried with no avail to get him to stop pulling the chains. Grandpa Mike and Grandma Martha FINALLY put that clock up in their bedroom. Grandpa Mike passed away in December 2020. A few years after that, Dominic started saying, "Pop-Pop not's going to like that." He then would say, "cuckoo clock." For the longest time, we didn't know what he was talking about. A lightbulb finally went off and we asked him, "did you know Pop-Pop didn't like you pulling that chain and you did it anyways?" He started to giggle! He knew EXACTLY what he was doing! About a year ago, mom taught what getting someone's "goat" meant. Now when he talks about "Pop-Pop not's going to like that," he will say, "goat!"

05/28/2026

When we delivered our very first order to our friend, Melissa P. for her son's birthday exactly 5 1/2 years ago today, we really didn't know how our business would go, having never run a small business before! Pandemic learning was difficult for Dominic because of his Epilepsy. When his private speech therapist started teaching him the concept of when we baked her something and she would pay him, mom began to wonder if we could run a business out of our home. The premise of the Michigan Cottage Food Business is to "test" the market with minimal start-up costs before you pay rent for a space, buy equipment, etc. Once we got some momentum going in early 2021 and people started learning about us, it took off from there. We are just 55 orders away from 900 total orders! Mom has learned since that very first order, that Dominic is capable of more than she gives him credit for. It has really opened mom's eyes to what an individual with the main diagnosis of Autism can do when given the opportunity. The business has taught mom to have more patience with Dominic and not try to do so much for him. Every single second that mom teaches him a new skill, reaps benefits for his future. Thanks for coming along on this "journey" with us!!

05/22/2026

We made some chocolate cupcakes this afternoon! One dozen went to the Meridian Township Fire Department (they said they have been VERY busy) and the other dozen to the PNC (we needed to make a deposit). Dominic learning how to fill out a bank deposit slip has been a benefit that mom could have never imagined when we started our business. We had a deposit slip all ready to go on Monday but ended up not going to the bank until this afternoon. Between Monday and Friday, we had two orders we got paid for. When mom dropped Dom off at work this morning mom asked Dom if he wanted mom to fill out the second deposit slip, start over with a new deposit slip or if he wanted to do the second deposit slip. He said, "Dominic." Once he got home from school, he frosted and put sprinkles on the cupcakes and filled out the deposit slip. Once we made it back home, he said, "paycheck." He gets paid every two weeks on a Friday and he remembered today was payday (FIRST time ever)!!! Mom showed Dom how to get into his account, so he could see the amount he earned. His private speech therapist has him putting the date he is paid and the amount and he keeps a "running" ledger so he can the total amount of money he has earned!! He does not want to spend any of his earnings - he wants to save. 😉

05/20/2026

It was about this time four years ago that Dominic was preparing to go through his high school graduation. A "typical" high school graduate would either go to college or work a job. In the Fall of 2022, Dominic continued at the high school. When you have an individual with disabilities there is a different "path" you go down. In Michigan, you can receive special education services until you turn 26 (Dominic will turn 22 at the end of July). He has received vocational training opportunities through school (Delta Dental, Buddie's Restaurant, Holiday Inn, Court One and now Peckham). All of those skills will help prepare him for when he leaves the school system. There are a lot more individuals looking for a job than there are jobs, especially for those with Autism. The unemployment rate is very high. Our goal since our first order in November 2020 has been to open a brick-and-mortar bakery and employ those with disabilities. We continue to move towards that goal! In eight days we will have been operating for exactly 5 1/2 years!

05/15/2026

Dominic just has a few more weeks of work before the summer break. He got this award today😉

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Okemos, MI
48864

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