By:  Rori Mohakabe and Kimberly Henry, Staff Writers for UNSUGARCOATED Media

July 20, 2021

“Whisk it with flAVA”—the YouTube cooking channel created by 11-year-old entrepreneur, Ava Simone, gives us a glimpse into the creativity, imagination, and entrepreneurship that can start at any age, even during a pandemic. 

Samara Hurley and daughter, Ava Simone

Adding her own “flAVA”, a name playing on the word “flavor” combined with her first name, the kidpreneur aims to break into the space of an unconventional cooking show, where she showcases her cooking skills on her YouTube channel. The cheerful and delightful young lady and her mother, Samara Hurley, sat down via Zoom with our President and founder, Aalia Lanius, to discuss sweet treats and everything UNSUGARCOATED.

Having started cooking with her mom, Ava admitted, “I didn’t know how to bake.”  That didn’t stop her from trying though.  When the opportunity came to make cupcakes for her 9th birthday, she “hopped right into it.”  Yet, it was the pandemic that truly drew out the more skilled baker in her as she began to realize that it was helping her in an unexpected way.  “It [baking] started to become soothing for me,” she explains, smiling from ear to ear during the interview.

Ava goes on to explain that her passion for baking truly began growing as a result of finding an emoji cake book in her school library.  After pleading with her mom to make the delicious and fun cakes depicted in the book, she gave in and agreed.  Though Ava considered herself a “terrible baker”, the pair preserved and one Saturday afternoon they ended up making cake.  They even invited the neighbors to be in on the fun.

The journey of baking has opened Ava up to new experiences and techniques that she had only previously dreamed of, like making fondant.  Ava says, “I had a really good time…I wanted to do it more and more.”

Hooked on the feeling of happiness after challenging herself, the aspiring chef has not only increased her knowledge on baking as a kid, but with the guidance of her mother, has launched a series of how-to-videos on her website.  These fun videos are for anyone who wants to learn or gain ideas on things related to baking such as, how to marble fondant, create basic chocolate cupcakes and cream cheese icing— this bright and bubbly young entrepreneur has you covered. 

Photo courtesy of Samara Hurley

As well as having a YouTube how-to cook channel, the ambitious preteen also has a podcast, The KAM Project, where she interviews fellow young entrepreneurs about their business ventures. Is there anything this soft-spoken young lady can’t do?

Using her brother’s memory, Kameron, who never got a chance to meet his younger sister, The KAM Project helps kids learn how to market their products and services, teaching them public speaking, budgeting skills and creating a life-long network to benefit their futures and communities.

Through her passion, dedication, and a magnetic aura, this sprightful entrepreneur is an example of how anyone, no matter how old, can find meaning and community in any endeavor that they put their time and effort into. Unafraid at the prospect of trying something new, Ava Simone has used her ingenuity and drive to build herself her own business, and seems destined to continue to blaze her own trail.