WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — The one place you could always find Shannon Nasca's grandmother was the kitchen.
Right by her side, was none other than Nasca, who also had something cooking inside of her.
"I started baking with her and she was really great about letting me experiment with different ingredients, not necessarily following recipes and just doing my own thing," Nasca said.
Her love of baking turned into a perfected hobby.
"I call these my 'happy birthday marvins' they're little mini cakes," Nasca said. "They're chocolate and they have boiled frosting on top with crushed sponge candy on top."
She is finally taking her passion off the back burner all because a pandemic has changed everyday life for her family.
"I had to leave my job at the beginning of May because I have three little kids at home and two of them are online learning so I had to leave that life behind and figure out something else," Nasca said.
Nasca knew it was time to do something she's always wanted: open up her own bakery. Now this Bills fan needs a little help from the city she's loved the most to turn a dream into a business.
One day, she saw an ad for an online baking competition called the "Greatest Baker" and before she knew it, she became a quarterfinalist. If she wins the whole thing, she could get $10,000 to help start up the bakery.
All the City of Good Neighbors has to do is vote for Nasca on the Greatest Baker's website by 11 p.m. Thursday.
"It would mean everything," Nasca said. "It has been my friends, my family and my community that have even gotten me this far. Bills Mafia has been so kind to me online. I am just blessed to be in Buffalo and it would mean the world to me to be able to open this bakery for all of you."
Someday, she's even hoping to also share special game day treats with her favorite NFL team.
"What would it mean to you if the Bills players stepped up and voted for you," 2 On Your Side's Danielle Church asked her.
"I mean I would geek out. That would be the coolest thing," Nasca said. "I am a Buffalo girl, I love Buffalo, I love the Bills, I would love nothing more than to be able to do all of my cakes and my game day treats for everyone for tailgate parties and stuff like that, the Super Bowl, God willing."
All it takes is one vote for a Western New Yorker finally believing in herself.
You can place a vote once a day for Nasca.
If you'd like to vote for her for free, click here.
You can vote for her more than once in a day if you choose the "Hero" vote, and the money will go to non-profit No Kid Hungry.