Mixing creativity, compassion and initiative, local teen Isabella Gertz concocted a recipe to serve up joy to families in need.
After visiting a local food bank, the 16-year-old Agoura High School junior had a lightbulb moment that sparked her into action.
“I realized that while families often receive basic necessities, birthdays and celebrations are frequently overlooked,” shares Isabella. Inspired to make a difference, she reached out to local grocery stores and bakeries to request undecorated cakes that she could customize and donate to help others celebrate birthdays and special events.
With support from Gelson’s, Sprouts and Vons, Isabella teamed up with a group of friends to create unique and beautifully decorated cakes to bring smiles to others.
“We decorated a cake with an axolotl for a 5-year-old’s birthday and got a video of them receiving the cake. Their reaction was incredibly sweet and reminded me exactly why I do this," says Isabella, who founded a nonprofit called Bella’s Bakes to continue her mission.
“My goal is to expand to reach more communities in Southern California,” says Isabella. Advertising her services through flyers, word of mouth and on Instagram, Isabella works with Manna Conejo Valley Food Bank to deliver the decorated cakes to the lucky recipients.
Isabella’s love of culinary creations began at a young age in the kitchen with her mother.
“I started baking at 5 years old. My mentor that created my passion is my mom, who taught me how to bake when I was little,” explains Isabella, adding that the whole family got involved. “My dad and brother were forced to try my creations, too.”
Isabella studied at the Culinary Institute of America in New York and credits her Girl Scout instructors’ guidance and support with helping her grow and develop her skills. She is pursuing the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award with Bella’s Bakes and her Bake It Forward and Design with Dignity programs, where others can contribute to the cause by donating funds online at BellasBakes.org.
Isabella’s creations earned top honors at this year’s Los Angeles County Fair, where her Garden Cake took first place, Best of Class and Best of Division. She also took home an award for her inventive Girl Scout cookie creation. Using the new flavor, Explore Mores, she made a chocolate tart, using the cookie as a crust with mousse and fudge filling topped with marshmallow whipped cream.
The ambitious, accomplished teen balances her baking endeavors with schoolwork, the tennis team and extracurriculars, including the Animal Welfare Club and the Women in Medicine Club, as well as volunteering at Los Robles Hospital.
As her older brother prepares to attend Cornell University in the fall, Isabella contemplates her own college plans, noting she’s thinking of staying closer to home and continuing to brighten up lives with Bella’s Bakes. For the Conejo Valley community, that’s something to celebrate!
Learn more at BellasBakes.org and on Instagram at @_bellas.bakes_.