By Marshall Weiss, The Dayton Jewish Observer

Rochel Simon has always enjoyed baking. “This is my thing to do in the evening to unwind,” she says. “I’m always looking for a reason to bake.”

Now, she’s got plenty of reasons. The co-director of youth programming for Chabad with her husband, Rabbi Levi Simon — and Judaic specialist with the DJCC’s Early Childhood Services at the Boonshoft CJCE — Rochel just opened her new kosher business, All Occasions Sweets, with help from Rebecca Feigenblatt, who is enrolled in pastry school.

“Lately, people have been asking me, ‘Can you bake this, can you bake that?’ so I figured, why not?” Rochel says. “I felt there was kind of a need here. We’re starting it slow, and seeing where it will take off.”

Rochel and Rebecca have received their license to use the kosher kitchen at the Boonshoft CJCE; Rochel supervises their kashrut. They now provide challahs for Early Childhood Services and will soon sell challahs every week at the Boonshoft CJCE.

“Our big thing is challah, which people can put in a standing order for,” Rochel says. “We want to work with sisterhoods and synagogues if they want to fund raise or purchase bulk orders.”

All Occasions Sweets also prepares custom-decorated and monogrammed cookies; cakes for birthdays, weddings and Bar or Bat Mitzvahs; and pies.

“We specialize in pareve (may be eaten with meat or dairy meals), but we’re going to do dairy too.”

Rochel is taking orders at AllOccasionsSweets@gmail.com or on Facebook at All Occasions Sweets.