Jemila Mahmood-Shaba is a successful corporate career woman who decided to swap meetings and calendars for baking and sweet treats! And oh boy, are we happy she did.
Her much-loved Brownies with a Twist and Brownies with a Nutty Twist are such crowd-pleasers and very dear to her as it’s taken her years to perfect the recipe.
Between taking care of her two toddlers, she creates indulgent comfort bakes, does catering and pops by ARTE to ensure we’re loaded with joy!
Why do you love ARTE?
What’s not to love about ARTE! I just love everything that ARTE embodies. The community spirit, the camaraderie and just the overall ambience of the event. When I became a part of the market, I didn’t know what to expect as I had never done a market before.
I was made to feel welcome by the ARTE team and my fellow vendors who have now become friends. The ARTE community really is amazing, and I am glad to be a part of it.
When did you discover your passion for your artisan’s work?
I have always had a love for food and a passion for cooking. I grew up watching cooking and baking shows and I would get so excited with every show. Cooking came naturally for me but baking that I discovered at a later stage. I was always intrigued with the chemistry of how different components (ingredients) complimented each other. Being able to create something beautiful from a simple ingredient was always something I loved.
I’m literally always thinking about ingredients and how to create dishes and bakes. I remember being told once by a friend that it was obsessive to think about food this much. I’ve come to realise that it wasn’t an obsession but passion (well maybe a little bit of obsessions too lol).
Before I create a bake, I literally bake it in my mind. I start off with the ingredients, I work through how each component/flavour would work together, and I envision what the finished bake would taste and look like. This thought would literally go through my mind till I bake the product.
There is nothing more beautiful when the result is exactly as I envisioned it. There are times when I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for a new flavour or bake and I jot it down and go back to sleep. I literally combine flavours in my mind all the time.
How did you get where you are now?
It’s interesting because I had suppressed my culinary passion for years to be on what society deemed the “right path” and that was going to university and getting a degree, then jumping into corporates and you know how it goes. I have been able to build a successful career in corporates for the last 15 years and I had opportunities in the past to pursue my culinary dream but always turned it down.
Later in my career, I realised I was reaching burnout point and even though I was earning well I was still not getting that fulfilment. I enrolled myself in culinary school and started taking classes on weekends while I still had my corporate job. It became my escape and every weekend I would look forward to my class even though that meant not having a weekend to just relax as it was a 9am start and a full day. At the end of each class, I would be filled with so much joy with what I create that day and I just knew I had to do something about this but didn’t know where or how to start.
I quit my corporate job to be a stay-at-home mum, but it didn’t mean giving up on corporate completely. A few months later covid hit and with lockdown I somehow tapped more into my creative side, started baking more and experimenting with recipes. I then did the unthinkable and started posting my bakes which was daunting at first, but then the most surprising thing happened with people willing to pay for my bakes and the rest is baking history.
What or Who is your inspiration?
My inspiration is my grandmother (may her soul rest in peace). And no, she wasn’t someone that ever stepped into a kitchen or cooked/baked lol, but I loved her entrepreneurial spirit and drive to succeed. I would say the women in my family get that drive from her.
She was the epitome of a matriarch who built an empire in a time when women were not easily able to do so, and she was able to create successful businesses that she would later pass on to her own children. My wish in everything I do is to make my kids proud of me and I would love to be their inspiration, role model and hope they admire my journey.
What is your favorite piece of work that you have created?
It has to be my brownies!!! Boy of boy do we have a history! Haha! I’ve always loved brownies and wherever I would go I would always order brownies but could never find a brownie that was amazing (till I created my own, toot toot lol). It was only natural that when I embarked on my baking journey the first challenge I set myself was to make brownies.
The first one I made was a chilli orange brownie for a friend’s birthday which went down a treat! Still, I personally wasn’t satisfied with the recipe, and it would take me years of trial and error to create my brownies with and without the twist which is now so loved by others.
What is your trick to make the sale?
I would like to know that too! Haha, for me I just enjoy connecting with people who love a good treat just as much as I do, and I guess this is my customer base. When I have a customer in front of me, we literally go on an indulging journey together and its such a beautiful thing! Those who appreciate a good bake made with quality ingredients are my people.
What is your best seller, what are you known for in the artisans’ community?
It depends on who you ask but I’d say between my gourmet brownies, walnut coffee cake and gourmet cookies. Interesting fact about my walnut coffee cake is that there is no coffee inside. It is called a coffee cake because of its texture, and it pairs well with coffee or tea.
My brownies, apart from being just the right amount of fudgy deliciousness, I think people love the flavour of the twist and you just must try it to know. When it comes to my cookies, they’re just everything you’d want in a cookie and more.
To get a compliment from a New Yorker that my cookies remind her of home or when I’m told it’s up there with the best of them is just mind blowing. I’m truly so humbled by how my bakes have been received.
What does your artisan’s work really mean to you? Is it business, pleasure, passion?
All the above! I get so much joy from creating recipes, it warms my heart truly to see how people enjoy my bakes, and of course let’s be honest could anything be better than making a profit from what you absolutely love to do! The best part of what I do is when those who have tried my bakes describe the experience just how I imagined, or describe the texture and flavours in such a beautiful way.
What are you working on at the moment? Do you have any new projects coming up?
I am currently in the process of launching my website which I am excited about. I also have a couple of things I’m working on for Shabalicious Bakes that will be announced in due time. I have big plans and hope to make Shabalicious Bakes a household name in shaa Allah. I’m dreaming worldwide baby! lol
Who or what at ARTE do you like or admire?
I admire my fellow vendors who have the drive and passion for what they do. It really is a beautiful thing to connect with such creative minds. Truly I’m inspired by so many of them. I also admire the motivation from the ARTE team onsite and online too.
Can I also be biased and say I admire Miriam. She just has a way about her that makes you feel at ease. She is always on hand for a pep talk and just a great motivator.
Do you use any unusual, or special materials in your product?
The French call it “Je ne sais quoi”, I call it my Shabalicious touch! I put my love and passion into my bakes. This starts from the quality of the ingredients i.e where I source my chocolates, to the quality of butter etc which makes a world of difference to creating a great bake.
When I embarked on my baking journey, one of my motivations was to create bakes that had good quality ingredients as it’s always been important to me what I consume, so I want that for my customers too.
Jemila sells her delicious treats at the ARTE Market in Times Square Center every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month. Make sure to stop by and grab a brownie.
If you would like to learn more, follow or order from Jemila here are her contact details:
IG: @Shabaliciousbakes
FB: Shabalicious Bakes
EMAIL: Shabaliciousbakes@gmail.com
Whatsapp: +971 553865298
Website: www.shabaliciousbakes.com
