My name is Emily and here is my story…
I am a 17 -year-old baker, baking under the Cottage Law of Maryland. I watched Food Network baking shows and took special interest in Duff Goldman from the Baltimore based Charm City Cakes. I would bake on holidays and for my friends for birthdays or special event. Once the pandemic hit, we were sent home from school immediately and I found baking was someth
ing that I continued to enjoy and kept me busy. By the end of May, we knew that going back to school was not happening and my parents tried to find me an internship with local bakeries for the summer. Unfortunately, they found that I was too young as insurance could not cover a 14-year-old in professional kitchens. After putting internship requests out on social media, a gentleman reached out to me for his wife’s birthday. He said he could not help with the internship but asked for an order. And that was when my business took off. They had a lot of friends and the word spread quick. At the end of May 2020, my parents surprised me by registering my name with the state of Maryland. I was officially Butterworks Bakery USA. They gave me $150 to buy ingredients and materials. I was able to pay them back within 3 weeks. By July, my business and social media followers grew so fast that the local media took notice. I was featured in the Carroll County Times and then interviewed by Baltimore TV Stations – WJZ, WBAL, and FOX 45. By the holiday season, I was working 7 days a week completing individual orders and was a featured baker at a local Food Co-Op store in Sykesville, Maryland. All this while studying as a full-time virtual high school student. In Spring 2022, I was a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show where was I was able to tell my story to a National Audience. I am unsure of my future however; I know I love to bake. Currently, I have been accepted into the Carroll County Technical School for the Baking program in my Junior and Senior years of high school. After high school, I am considering additional instruction in Italy or France or CIA in New York. I would love to own my own store one day. I bake cakes, cupcakes, hot chocolate bomz and more. I want to thank all my friends, family and supporters. You are helping to make my dreams come true.
