Our Story
Topped with Love started with a passion for baking. In addition, apporxiametly 5 years ago a family member developed an egg allergy. From then onwards I was expected to accomodate any dietary restrictions in my baked goods. As the years went on I realized that there are a lot of people with food allergies and their selection of food products is limited.
In January of 2022, I came up with the idea to teach cooking classes in my community. My goal was to give back to my community and provide a service lacking in the Northern Virginia Area. I attended several cooking camps and classes as a child. I credit those opportunites as a source of inspiration for my love of baking and cooking. As for my planning of cooking classes, I consulted a family friend who helped me throughout the process of planning and advertising. I also seeked help from a business teacher at my high school and they really helped realize my responsibilities. After extensive planning and research, I held my cooking classes in my basement as a business experiment. After having 3 three classes over a 2-month period with 6 participants. I got a positive response from the classes and lots of feedback.
In May 2022, I had my first carnival booth where I provided people with my desserts. All desserts sold out by the end of the carnival and it was a surreal milestone. I continued fulfiling higher volume and customized orders over the next few months. (pictures can be found in the Gallery)
In 2022, I applied to the Young Entreprenuer Academy with the intent to establish my business and recieve education and guidance about the ins and outs of entreprenuership. I was accepeted into the Academy’s Class of 2023 after an intensive process. Over the course of 7 months, I developed a business plan and worked towards establishing my business. I also had the opportunity to parcticipate in Young Entreprenuers Academy Annual Investor Panel Pitch Competition. I was able to win funding for my business and got to meet various members of the community. Our story is a big part of who we are as a company.