Solon bakery to host gingerbread building for pediatric patients

Nov. 30, 2022 5:30 am

Sarah Ferin frosts cinnamon rolls at The Eat Shop in Solon on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. The bakery started out as a restaurant run by the owner's great aunt Mary Ann Drahos and her five sisters. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

The Eat Shop in Solon will host a new event in support of the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital on Dec. 7.

The John J. Sokol Gingerbread House Extravaganza will bring the magic of the season to kids staying at the hospital, with an interactive holiday experience.

The Solon bakery will be baking, packaging and delivering 100 gingerbread house kits to the hospital. On Dec. 7, their team of experts will livestream the bakery’s gingerbread house building tutorial on closed-circuit TVs across the hospital, giving children there the chance to decorate along with kids in Solon.

Cheryl Maloney, owner of The Eat Shop, said her late father was the inspiration for the new event, now held in his honor. Her father, John J. Sokol, died from esophageal cancer in March 2020.

“My dad loved Christmas. His excitement for the holiday season was infectious,” Maloney said. “While he embodied the magic of Christmas, his kindness and unparalleled generosity was evident throughout the year.”

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