Jordan Chang, junior biology major and owner of Chang’s Treats, a baked goods shop run on TikTok and other social media platforms, holds up one of his prize cookies on display outside of Arium apartments on Oct. 6. Chang has been running this business for almost a year now after starting back at UCF.
Courtesy of Jordan Chang
While working toward a future in medicine, UCF junior Jordan Chang is also trying to hold on to a childhood passion that once became difficult to balance with school: baking cookies.
Chang, a biomedical sciences major on the pre-med track, runs Chang’s Treats, a small business selling homemade cookies to UCF students and customers throughout Orlando. With the menu changing every month and featuring flavors like s’mores and pumpkin spice, Chang’s work is unending.
“I started this business in high school because I just loved baking so much,” Chang said. “I’ve been baking since I was a little kid and would bring goods to my friends in high school.”
Chang eventually stepped away from selling baked goods when school and nonacademics forced him to split his time.
“It wasn’t as good then because I didn’t have the time to put in my usual effort,” Chang said.
He restarted Chang’s Treats at the beginning of the last school year, hoping to give the business another chance.
“I wasn’t too focused on it because of time constraints and feeling discouraged,” Chang said. “But my passion for it grew, and I started making videos to promote it more.”
Chang’s daily schedule normally starts with work or volunteering before heading to campus to attend classes and study. After playing tennis, he returns home to prepare cookie dough for Chang’s Treats.
“I got carried away preparing dough and forgot I had an assignment due that night,” Chang said.
Rather than stopping his baking, Chang said he sped up the process and still had enough time to work on his assignment. When asked whether the workload has made him consider stopping the business, he said that while he has considered it, he could never do it.
“I do consider not continuing sometimes because of my load, but I always remember how much I love it and how manageable it can be as long as I stay organized and manage my time,” Chang said.
The business has also pushed Chang to put himself in front of an audience on social media, something that hasn’t always come naturally to him.
“I can be very shy, so I’m very proud of myself for putting myself out there in this way,” Chang said.
Beyond social media, word of mouth is still just as valuable, with Chang’s cookies reaching other students through it.
Ernest Rodriguez, a junior finance major, purchased cookies after learning about Chang’s Treats through a friend. Rodriguez said he enjoyed the s’mores flavor and appreciated the variety of cookies offered each month.
“I was happy to help another student because I know how expensive everything is nowadays, and it’s cool that he does what he does,” Rodriguez said.
Beyond giving him a way to share his baking, Chang’s Treats provides additional income while he attends college. Scholarships, including Florida Bright Futures, help cover his educational expenses, while earnings from his cookie sales help pay for rent and personal expenses.
Although Chang is working toward a career in medicine, he has also expressed interest in selling baked goods full-time someday. For now, he continues balancing his education with the business he first started in high school.
“I sell to all people in the Orlando area,” Chang said. “I’m going to be changing up the menu every month, so I hope to stick around.”