Collab with ZOLA Bakes
Our newest collab is with fellow women-owned business, ZOLA Bakes! We are so excited about this brand new Cake Truffle assortment. It's both beautiful and delicious, and brought to you by four mom business owners looking for something amazing this fall and with Halloween around the corner.
After cooking up this special treat with Sam and Shira from ZOLA Bakes, we sat down to chat with them so we could share more about this collab with YOU! We can't wait for you to try the Cake Truffles. Read below for more!
Sam, why Rainbow Cookies as your signature dessert at Zola Bakes? Rainbow cookies are a staple NY deli cookie. I always loved the way rainbow cookies looked, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of how they tasted. I found that making these cookies fresh tasted so delicious and baked them for friends and family. I really picked up the baking of my rainbow cookies when I moved to Florida. I baked them often as they reminded me of home, but also because I discovered that many people in Florida didn’t know what they were, and that those who lived in Florida and were from NY, quickly identified them as the best rainbow cookie they ever tasted! Word of mouth led to customers outside of Florida asking for my cookies, and Zola Bakes was born.
Shira, how did you and Sam begin working together? Sam and I have been friends since college, I like to call myself one the original taste testers! I've been supporting Sam and Zola Bakes from the start. I was always there to help in any way I could - whether it was helping with customer service or as an extra hand at an event, I was there for Sam as a friend! At the beginning of the year Sam and I spoke about me coming on full time and the rest is now history!
Sam and Shira, how do you manage both being moms and baker/entrepreneurs? All parent knows how difficult it is to balance a career and caring for a child. For us, organization is key as well as having a plan and knowing our strengths (and weaknesses). We are fortunate to have each other as we can balance, and delegate business responsibilities so we can both prioritize and be there for our families.
Sam, where did you work prior to Zola Bakes and how did that impact the leader you are in the kitchen? After college, I attended the French Pastry School in Chicago and then became a baker in the production kitchen at Épicerie Boulud in New York City. In fall of 2012, I started working at Magnolia Bakery as a baker, and soon became the general manager. Learning the ins and outs of each position in a bakery helped me gain the knowledge and understanding to become a leader who understands the needs of not only the business but their workers too.
Why did you both want to work with Mini Melanie on a new collab treat? We are so excited to be working with Mini Melanie as they are a proud small business and female owned, just like Zola Bakes! It is important for us to work with companies that share the same standards.
What's your favorite part of this new dessert collab? We love that the Zola Bakes Cookie Cake Truffles accentuate the delicious and beautiful craft of both desserts. The delicate and meticulous use of chocolate that surrounds a perfect cutting of our rainbow cookie produces a truly elegant dessert.