Born and raised in Paris, France, Ava Uppal, BS Marketing ’19, fondly recalls baking with her mother and turning simple ingredients into heartfelt memories.
Uppal grew up eating her mother’s freshly baked French yogurt cakes for breakfast and enjoyed every bit of it. Now, as a part-time Costello College of Business at George Mason University MBA student and a working mother of two children, she’s a small business owner and author of a new cookbook.
Uppal, a self-described dream chaser, is the founder of Baked à la carte, a French bespoke cakes and dessert bar catering company in Washington, D.C. She credits her success in starting and managing a small business to the business education she received at George Mason University, and the cadre of amazing mentors she encountered in the business college’s alumni community. “Being a student at Mason was the start of my American Dream journey,” says Uppal. “The alumni network has been a tremendous support to me along my journey, from student to post-graduate.”
She began Baked à la carte to carry on her mother’s legacy of spreading love with baked goods, using recipes she learned from her mom and which she now shares in her new book, Baking Memories. The cookbook is a nod to her Parisian roots and her mother’s baking legacy.
Baking Memories is filled with a collection of simple and fun recipes that readers can use to start their own family traditions and create treasured memories. The recipes have a French flair and include a variety of tasty treats—from French-style cakes and cookies to madeleines and other baked goods—all inspired by her beloved mother and Ava’s own life as a first-generation immigrant, George Mason alumna, working mom, military spouse, and entrepreneur.
She and her daughter, Zoya, were recently featured in a Small Business Spotlight segment on WJLA ABC 7’s Good Morning Washington show. During the broadcast, she shared her recipe for French Yogurt cakes with co-hosts Eileen Whelan and Britt Waters. As Uppal demonstrated, her recipes are easy to follow and customizable, which makes them appealing to almost everyone in the family.
Uppal continues to share her creative ideas and recipes as an on-air lifestyle expert and has appeared on television stations including affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.
“There is something special about being in the kitchen and creating,” says Uppal. “The process of baking allows us to explore, express our creativity, and get something delicious at the end.” Uppal also notes that baking appeals to our senses—sight, smell, taste, touch, and even hearing—and can serve as a psychological cue in awakening treasured memories. One of her fondest childhood memories is sitting on the kitchen counter bonding with her sister and late mother, while baking French yogurt cakes.
Uppal expects to complete her Costello MBA in 2025.
In the meantime, she’s focused on building treasured memories with her own family while chasing her dream of growing her business portfolio. Her recipe for personal and professional success includes generous portions of passion, hard work, and balance, which is making quality time for her family and involving her children in her life’s work.
Uppal’s debut cookbook is available for purchase on avauppal.com.