Many businesses are gearing up for the Buffalo Bills game on Sunday. Mazurek's Bakery is prepping its signature baked goods for customers ahead of the game.
Yet, there's so much more that happens at the South Buffalo bakery beyond creating delicious baked goods. It has become a space over the past few years for students to gain real-world experience.
For Colin Stewart, his Friday morning was jam-packed gearing up for the Bills game bakery rush.
"We had to pipe cupcakes with frosting, sprinkle them with Bills-themed sprinkles, and put the little Bills-themed rings on them," Stewart explained.
This week, the business prepped everything from donuts to cupcakes and even the iconic Bills-themed king cakes.
"My favorite to make are donuts," Stewart said.
For Stewart, this bakery means so much more to him.
"It helps me out a lot cause it's good for my resume if I want to get a job someday," he added.
Stewart is part of OLV's Human Services Vocational Program. OLV purchased the South Buffalo staple on South Park Avenue in 2020. While keeping its doors open, it soon became a place for students like Stewart to get workforce experience.
"He has really kind of grown significantly with confidence he's been to a number of our different worksites in the community but he loves coming to the bakery," Marga McMahon, director of innovative learning, said.
McMahon said not only are students working on their baking and decorating skills, "but also, how to work as part of a team and how to take initiative how to respond to supervision things that they'll need for any job that they can use as a transferable skill should they get competitive employment."
McMahon said Mazurek's is one of the several OLV programs for work-based learning. These programs are designed for students with some sort of barrier to employment.
"We've had several students who come through the bakery and they'll say to me, 'I never thought I'd get a job until I came here,'" McMahon explained.
With about five years under his belt in this program, Stewart hopes these opportunities will help him get to his dream job.
"I want to be an actor and direct my own movies one day," Steward shared.
