We had the good fortune of connecting with Nora & Naji Chaya and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nora & Naji, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
The beauty of a business that requires a creative mind is that it allows you to experiment and create things that you normally wouldn’t. Some of the things we most enjoy doing are creating new recipes or enhancing the products that we already make. While some of our new experiments don’t turn out the best, the ones that do bring a lot of joy; and since we both love food, the joy of the new discovery largely outweighs our failures.

What should our readers know about your business?
First and foremost we take pride in the quality of our product. Second to none, the desserts that we make will taste unlike anything you’ve ever had before. While using nothing but the best ingredients within our desserts. The methods we’ve developed to handcraft them to ensure that they come out the same delicious every single time. This was extremely difficult to do. Years of trial and error lead up to this success. The development of our Vegan options, along with our gluten-free options was easily our biggest hurdle. Nora accepts nothing less than to have these specialty desserts taste as good, if not better than the non-dietary restrictive desserts that we already provide! Mind you, this lead to a massive headache and countless failed attempts but was extremely worth it at the end. I’m sure if you asked our loyal customers who love our specialty desserts, they will undoubtedly confirm

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Where do we begin? From as far north as Carlsbad to all the way south to downtown San Diego, the options are limitless. As far as food goes, there’s plenty to choose from depending on the type of food you want. Le Papagayo in Carlsbad, Island Prime at Harbor Island, El Patio in Chula Vista and many many more. For drinks and to hang out, Kettner Exchange in Little Italy, Altitude Sky Lounge and Top of the Hyatt in Downtown, or at the Hotel Del in Coronado

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Grandma Suad is the first. A hardworking stay at home mother of 6 was a self taught culinary genius. She taught Nora all of her invaluable kitchen skills, attention to detail, and unique recipes to help create the foundation of this business. Our many family and friends who before we created this business harped on Nora to start one because of the “gold mine” of a recipe she had for our famous Baklava. “The Four Hour Work Week” By Tim Ferriss inspired Naji to be relentless in the pursuit of establishing a successful business. Last but not least, Joe, Nina, Sam, and William for their unconditional support that they’ve given us throughout our journey!

Website: www.norasdesserts.com

Instagram: noras.desserts

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSocal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.