Sophia Nelms
Freshly baked bread is a nostalgic aroma for Sophia Nelms, owner of Sophia’s at Walden.
It transports her back to childhood—her mother’s modest kitchen in their Harrisburg house—where she learned that water, yeast, sugar, oil, flour and salt, when combined and baked with love, become a loaf of bread with taste and meaning so pure that it can’t be found prepackaged on a grocery store shelf.
“We never had store-bought bread because my mom made everything from scratch,” Nelms said. “Growing up in a fairly large Greek family who loved to bake and cook, I have so many beautiful memories in the kitchen and breaking bread around the table. That’s where my love for homemade food came about.”
When Nelms’ parents passed away a year apart in 2020 and 2021, she realized that her mom didn’t have many of her recipes written down, because she always made them from memory.
So, in the summer of 2021, Nelms, with the editorial assistance of Stacie Shenenberger—the sister of her life partner, Trevor—locally released the first of her two cookbooks, “From the Kitchen at Sophia’s,” in honor of her mom.
To their humble surprise, the 500 cookbooks they independently printed sold like hotcakes.
Responding to its popular demand, the duo released a second edition of “From the Kitchen at Sophia’s,” followed by Nelms’ second and final cookbook, “Cooking with Love,” in December 2022—dedicated to her customers, whom Nelms fondly refers to as her “guests.”
“We went into it with the mindset that, if we sell a couple of books, we’d be happy,” Shenenberger said. “When we had a launch party last July and nearly 200 people showed up, and then we sold more than half the books in a week, we were at a loss for words. It was such a validating moment for us, knowing that we created something special with this cookbook. We captured the heart of Sophia’s and preserved the recipes that make it so special.”
The cookbooks not only include guest favorites from the restaurant, such as chicken pastina soup, cinnamon roll pancakes and coconut-crusted shrimp, but also how to make her mom’s bread, other beloved family recipes passed down through generations, and the stories that connect them all.
“People have asked me why I’m ‘giving up my recipes,’ but I tell them that I simply thought it was the right thing to do at the right time,” Nelms said. “I may not have all of my mother’s recipes, but at least my guests have these recipes that they can try to make at home and see which ones they really love—keeping the tradition of home-cooked meals alive.”
In February, Sophia’s at Walden turned 10 years old—a milestone anniversary that Nelms plans to celebrate with the community on May 20, in the way that she knows best—with good food and good company. Her second cookbook, which is currently on sale for $35 at the restaurant, will also be available for purchase and signing during this upcoming anniversary event.
Reflecting on the last 10 years, and looking onward at what the next 10 might hold, Nelms wonders if, one day, someone as passionate about family and food as she is will come forward and say, “I learned how to make all of the recipes from your cookbooks, and I’d like to buy Sophia’s.”
If the person and the timing felt right, Nelms said she might not decline.
“Creating these cookbooks made me fully realize just how much heart and how many people—family and those who feel like family—have gone into making Sophia’s a cherished place in the community for all these years,” she said. “If and when someone decides they want the place, I hope that they see it as I do—a place reminiscent of home, where families can gather and continue creating memories around the table for generations to come.”
Sophia’s at Walden is located at 129 Walden Way, Mechanicsburg. For more information, visit www.sophiasatwalden.com or follow them on Facebook.
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