Baking up a storm
Eighth grader Nola James Shapiro fell in love with baking when she was 5 years old and not yet tall enough to reach the kitchen counter without a stool. Her chocolate chip cookies became favorites for mom Kimberly, dad Stephen “Steak” Shapiro and her siblings, Sophie and Bobby. Dad, the founder of Atlanta Eats, is an expert when it comes to recognizing good food.
Her ardor for cooking has never wavered, and during the pandemic, the Dunwoody teen began donating dozens of cookies every week to doctors and nurses at Northside Hospital. “When people began asking if they could buy them, I decided to start my own bakery business, Frosted By Nola,” she says. “My mom delivers orders for free to the hospital and fire and police stations.”
Although the cheesecake recipe handed down from her aunt draws rave reviews, Nola finds new recipes by watching cooking shows and Instagram videos, then adds her own twist. “I like baking cakes best because I can get really creative with colors and textures and turn them into works of art, but my chocolate chip cookies are my best sellers,” she says. Nola also designed her own packaging, pink boxes with turquoise bows, and she writes personal notes in turquoise ink to each recipient, along with a greeting on the box.
For more information, visit frostedbynola.com.
