A Westminster teen’s sweet talent for baking recently landed her a spot on an episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” that aired last week.
Emily Uhlman, 16, and her home-based business, ButterWorks Bakery USA, were featured during a segment on the show, which is filmed in Los Angeles.
An avid, self-taught baker, Uhlman started her business in 2020, at the start of pandemic-related shutdowns. The Westminster High School sophomore bakes a variety of specialty cakes, cupcakes and cookies and offers them to local customers.
Uhlman explained the name of her business, Butterworks Bakery, by saying, “butter works in everything. The most important ingredient in all recipes is butter so … butter works.”
In 2020 Emily’s parents gave her $150 in startup money to roll out her business, and she took an online ServSafe certification course for food and beverage safety training. She was able to pay back her parents within three weeks.
Since then, she has marketed the business on Facebook and gained widespread attention after a WBAL-TV interview. Producers from “The Kelly Clarkson Show” found out about Uhlman’s talents and invited her to be a guest on the show.
In the segment that aired April 26, Uhlman discussed her love for baking and how she started her business with the host, Grammy Award-winning recording artist Kelly Clarkson.
“I’ve been baking essentially my whole life, especially in the beginning of the pandemic. ... I’ve wanted to work in a bakery, but I was too young, so I asked myself a question, ‘Why don’t I make my own business?’ ... Since then, I’ve catered to weddings, birthdays and more events — all in high school,” Uhlman explained to Clarkson.
Clarkson called Uhlman “gifted” and surprised her with a special guest, celebrity chef and Baltimore native Duff Goldman. Goldman, who Uhlman credits with teaching her to bake via YouTube videos and online tutorials, founded Charm City Cakes in Baltimore and has been featured on shows on the Food Network.
On Clarkson’s show Uhlman practiced icing techniques with Goldman and the host and said she was star-struck by the experience.
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“It was so surreal, I couldn’t believe it,” Uhlman said. “It was definitely a highlight moment!”
Uhlman was accepted into the Culinary Arts program at the Carroll County Career and Technology Center, where she will study baking and pastry beginning next school year. She hopes to open her own bakery in the future and expand ButterWorks Bakery USA’s menu to include international pastries.
“I learned what makes me happy, what motivates me, and what makes me try my hardest,” Uhlman said.
“The Kelly Clarkson Show” airs weekdays at 2 p.m., on WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore and NBC4 Washington.