by Lara Jadayel
From baking for friends and family, to creating a widespread social media frenzy over her mini macarons, the establishment of Aya’s Baking Adventure was, as the name reveals, an adventure.

Young Aya Ghader watched as her late mother, may she rest in peace, intricately flipped the legendary crème caramel pan on its head, mesmerized by the goldenness of the caramelized sauce as it glazed the layer of creamy custard. A complex quest, Aya reminisces, only her mother was able to do so magically. The dessert would be admired then savored, a joyful memory that ran in the Ghader household.

And so, Aya and her elder brother adopted the desire to make those around them as happy as their mother; they began venturing into their childhood home kitchen, baking cakes for the entire family.  With time,  Aya’s admiration for baking continued to grow. She went on to bake for extended family and friends, whose smiles widened just by the smell of her freshly baked goods taken out of the oven. Aya was uninterruptedly found in the kitchen, sifting and whisking, testing out new recipes and flavors for her loved ones. 

In 2010, Aya had macarons for the first time from a well-known bakery in Kuwait… and it was then that she asked herself, ‘How can I make this simple looking cookie at home?’ She began with her research, reading written recipes and watching hundreds of videos in different languages. She  would step into  her kitchen, testing and testing, until after so many failed trials declare, ‘Macarons are the hardest, most tricky dessert in the world!’ It took her hundreds of hours, and many more failed attempts, to finally get to the right consistency… until she then began experimenting with fillings!

Aya’s efforts paid off as her macrons became a hit! They were loved, devoured and recommended by family and friends. But up until then, she baked as a hobby,  balancing  with a full-time job.  Her delicious recipes were savored by selected people only… the outside world hadn’t yet tried her baked goods.

That  changed in 2015  when  Aya and her husband participated for the first time in a local food market selling her signature Crème Brûlée, all made in her home kitchen, all on her own.  Throughout her time at the market, she relished in her success of seeing as people excitedly munched into her baked goods… she recognized an internal feeling of pure and utter happiness. Her desserts made others feel, well, good! She wanted to spread more joy,  and  to create more and differently, a trait only made for competitive spirits.

How did the idea of customizing macaron orders come to you?
Aya: I used to follow different baking-related accounts on social media. One day, I saw someone making different shapes made out of macarons…and because I am very competitive by nature, I thought to myself why don’t I try doing that?
I then started with simple designs, like a one-colored heart shaped macaron. I then evolved to making multi-colored, complicated characters like Princess Peach from Super Mario. And because I admire the Arabic language, I delved into the making of Arabic letters Cake-arons, which are big pieces of macarons layered on top of each other with fillings in between. Seeing the popularity gained from Cake-arons, that’s when I began creating many different designs for many different occasions. 

How do you manage creating recipes, baking, packaging orders, managing inventory, delivery, customer service, marketing, and many other factors all on your own?
Aya: Magically! It’s exhausting to handle a business by yourself. I have a lot of sleepless nights… there are days where I don’t find the time to eat or do normal things, like seeing other people!
However, I wouldn’t be able to do it without the help of my husband (and partner).  He takes off so much of the pressures that I wouldn’t be able to handle, like marketing! He also helps with the deliveries of special cakes that need extra attention and care. And sometimes, he helps with the baking!
Of course, when I first started, baking was a hobby that I turned to a side hustle. But as I became a full-time baker, I had to become more organized and focused, which is how I am able to manage Aya’s Baking Adventure! 

What does a typical day for Aya look like?
Aya: Handling orders, replying to customers’ inquiries, checking on inventory, baking (of course!), stocking up on inventory, and coordinating orders with the driver.

What’s something people don’t know about being an at-home baker?
Aya: As convenient as it is having your own bakery at home, it’s very challenging to find the time & space to grow. That’s when I signed a lease for a central kitchen where I fully equiped and started getting all my baked goods out of.

What are some of the challenges you face as an at-home baker?
Aya: Not enough space!

What are some of the rewards from being an at-home baker?
Aya: Trying new recipes at my own comfort. Sometimes I stay very late at night and start baking at two in the morning because I got this crazy idea of a new flavor combo.

What does competing in this saturated market mean to you?
Aya: There is always room for new ideas. Competing should be with yourself, not with others.
What was the biggest order you worked on?Aya: Al-Bayan Bilingual School (BBS) was hosting a back-to-school event. My cousin who worked at BBS asked if I would be willing to provide 500 mini macaron bottles (10,000 mini macarons in total!) to be given as giveaways for BBS staff. Even though it was too much to handle myself, it was such a joyful and therapeutic experience for me, especially since it came after I lost my mom. It gave me the drive to continue. 

What was the most challenging order?
Aya: The Taj Mahal & Kuwait Towers Cakaron. This order was requested by the UAE Embassy in Kuwait… it put a lot of pressure on me, personally.

What was the most memorable order?
Aya: My cousins wanted something really special to celebrate their eldest sister’s birthday. They wanted a cake that looked like a realistic book– I took on the project and the design alone took around 2 weeks to finalize.  Every element on the cake was to be edible… from the teacup, to the needle and strings, to the picture of my cousin’s favorite canvas she worked on. At one point it became too stressful… I was about to ask a professional bakery to handle the order instead. However, I am so happy I didn’t because it turned out to be a hit! Everyone loved it and couldn’t believe the amount of details a cake could have. Once I posted the content on my social media accounts, the video went viral and reached 1.3 million views on TikTok, 2.9 million views on Instagram, and 3.9 million views on YouTube!

How do you see Aya’s Baking Adventure expanding?
Aya: I see it becoming an empire of the best baked goods with the most creative designs. I envision my brand becoming a touristic landmark, a place where people travel specifically to visit and enjoy. 

What advice would you give from-home bakers wanting to enter what is known to be a saturated market today?
Aya: There is always room for something new to create, even if the product existed before… you can make your own version of the same product.

You can follow Aya and her Baking Adventure on Instagram @ayasbakingadventure.