When most kids get bored, they reach over and pick up the nearest electronic device. But not Jonah. Jonah makes cake. From cake pops to donuts to a two-tiered birthday cake, Jonah’s favorite challenge is what to make next.

“During the pandemic, I got bored at home, so I started helping with the cooking,” Jonah said. His mom, Jessica Lazarre, was always looking for new recipes to try at home, as both of the kids have food allergies. Each kid, Jonah and his sister, are allergic to milk, nuts and a couple of other common ingredients. Jessica would sometimes get frustrated when she needed a cake or other baked goods since most of these sweets contain allergens.

About a year after he started cooking, Jonah decided to start baking cookies. Shortly after, he made his first cake. “I wanted to try to push my skills,” said Jonah. “So, why not try out baking a cake.” That’s when Jonah fell in love with the process. And, every cake he has made since has been allergen-friendly. “Mom was always looking for nut-free cakes for us,” he said.

“I use an old family recipe from the Great Depression,” said Jonah. Every ingredient he uses in his recipe is non-perishable. So, he uses vinegar as a binder and oil in place of butter. “There are other ingredients special to this recipe that make it creamy,” he said.

Jonah started by baking for bake sales, making cupcakes for his sister and having a lemonade stand where he would sell the cakes. Then he decided to step it up. “It’s been fun to make a business out of it,” said Jonah. He started filming his techniques and now has an Instagram (@jonahs_got_cake), a YouTube and a TikTok account where he posts the videos.

He also worked up a marketing plan and made cake samples. He took these samples to his neighbors, family and friends. “I wanted to get the word out,” he said. Most of Jonah’s business comes from his neighbors and word-of-mouth advertising.

“There’s a lot special about this kid,” said Dwayne Lazarre, Jonah’s father. “He makes, bakes and sells cakes.” Dwayne also commented on Jonah’s excellent business sense and that he’s “super bright, friendly, fun and very ambitious.”

“He has great attention to detail,” said Jessica. 

When Jonah isn’t baking, he likes to play basketball. He also started learning to play the acoustic guitar last year and really enjoys that. Another favorite activity Jonah likes is hanging out with his family. They play board games together, and one of the family’s favorites is “Operation.”

Jonah bakes everything from scratch and does all the fondant shapes and piping by hand. He makes two cake sizes, six-inch and eight-inch. The smaller size starts at $20 and will go up in price by adding in extras like fondant details, fresh fruit, flowers and fillings. The larger cakes start at $35 and go up for those extras. He has recently started making tiered cakes, especially one he made for his mother’s birthday. Jonah also makes cupcakes. All of these can be ordered from his social media pages or on his website at shop.bakesy.app/b/jonahs-got-cake.