Shamir B. with Mayor Catherine Pugh and his CookiePies (Handout photo)

By Eliyah B.
7th Grad, Krieger Schechter Day School of Chizuk Amuno Congregation

 Imagine this: a giant cookie, bigger than your face, with melted chocolate chips scattered across it. Now combine that with a pizza.

Though it may sound strange, this idea has caught the eye of many bakers across the country. Among them is my 10-year-old brother, Shamir B., a fourth grader at KSDS. He now owns a business called CookiePies, where he makes and sells these unique creations at the local summer farmers’ market.

Shamir’s interest in CookiePies began many years ago. I myself have always had many hobbies, and among them was cooking and baking. As a younger sibling, Shamir wanted a chance to shine. My mother and he found a chocolate chip cookie pie recipe online. At the time, it was called a cookie pizza. They found more and more recipes, and soon it became his “thing,” the dish that he made and excelled at making. This past spring, Shamir got a brilliant idea; he would start a business!

Soon, he became the talk of the neighborhood. Friends, neighbors and members of the local synagogue flocked to the market to try the famed dessert. Then one day, something amazing happened. Mayor Catherine E. Pugh stopped by his stand and bought a slice. “I met him in Druid Hill Park at the Farmers’ Market and thought his idea was unique. I tasted his products and thought that they were moist and good!” the mayor said.

A few weeks later, Shamir was invited to the mayor’s weekly press briefing where he said, “Hello, I am Shamir, and I own CookiePies. My company is a kid-run business, and it has been my goal to inspire others to create their own business. I started CookiePies at the beginning of the summer, and it is growing rapidly. My company has given me the ability to make great friendships and to learn a lot about how business works.”

According to Mayor Pugh, young entrepreneurs are extremely valuable. “It is important to support young entrepreneurs because they can become tomorrow’s employers and business owners,” she said.

Shamir explains that he has been interested in creating a business for a while now. “So, I just put together my hobby and my company desire, and here I am,” he said.

True to his word, Shamir has worked hard and has gotten far. He even has a special email for his company. In the beginning, however, he did not even have a logo. “When I was making my logo, I couldn’t find a [computer] program that would design it like I wanted. So I used what I could on Pixie!” he said laughing.

“I think that I will continue this later in life. I might not want this to be my main job, but I really love doing it, and this will help me and my business go farther. But until then, I am usually at the Druid Hill Park Farmers’ Market in the summer. I might not always be there because I’m still a kid and I have stuff to do!”

I can’t wait to see what my brother’s company becomes, but for now, I will just continue eating these delicious treats (for which, by the way, Shamir still charges me even though I am his sister).

 

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