Jennifer Ziemons is a competitor. She’s won multiple awards for her talent. She’s even won a gold medal in the Olympics . . . of tiny cooking, that is.

Miniature cooking is a worldwide sensation. Thousands of YouTube videos feature doll-sized meals made using itty-bitty utensils. A tiny spatula flips a tiny hamburger in a tiny pan on a tiny stovetop. A tiny whisk whirls drops of egg white in a tiny bowl for meringue atop a tiny pie. One video of a baby shortcake has over 12 million views! It seems there’s nothing big that can’t go tiny.

Today, the internet is full of tiny cooking websites. Tiny Kitchen, Mini Food, Pocket Cook, and others showcase everything from minuscule spaghetti to diminutive doughnuts. Human-sized hands stir, chop, and roll. But everything else in tiny cooking is small. There’s even little cleanup—thanks to mini sponges in small sinks.

Jennifer Ziemons started going small in 2015. As a child in Hungary, she wanted to be a veterinarian. But in college, an accident kept her from continuing her studies. She needed another line of work.

Ziemons decided to make sweets in miniature. After only a few months’ practice, she entered her first contest. She made an entire tiny kitchen—oven, hand mixer, counters, dishes, curtains, everything—out of sugar. She won first prize and developed a humongous appetite for tiny things.

She wasn’t finished. Ziemons entered the Olympics of cooking, a contest for chefs from around the world. They compete for medals and a slice of glory. Ziemons took the gold. She built a three-story Victorian dollhouse and all its contents out of sugar.

Despite her college studies setback, Ziemons has a don’t-quit attitude. She says, “It can be frightening to see all your plans and hard work suddenly vanish into thin air, but . . . everything happens for a reason.” Christians know who controls their lives. They can trust God’s plans for the future. (Proverbs 3:5)

Today, Ziemons focuses mostly on tiny cakes. Her YouTube channel is Jenny’s Mini Cooking Show. She uses wee rolling pins, knives, measuring cups, and spoons to make elaborately decorated thumb-sized cakes. One looks like a cheeseburger with tomato, lettuce, and cheese—with micro sesame seeds on the bun.

This year Ziemons plans to open several sweet shops in Europe. She’s taking her own advice to “Never give up!” and is making it big by going small.