Michelle Spell Archives

Meet Michelle – the owner of Ava’s Cupcakes and past winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars. In our latest blog she discusses all things Ava’s and even talks about being on Cupcake Wars. Read on to learn a little more.

Meet Michelle – Q&A with Owner of Ava’s Cupcakes

Why did you decide to open Ava’s Cupcakes?

There were many varying factors in making the decision to open Ava’s Cupcakes; however, the ultimate decision was made from the overwhelming response from the community. Orders just could not be fulfilled from home any longer because a strong and viable business had clearly been born.

NJ Opening

What is your favorite part about owning Ava’s?

I am not sure I can say that there is one favorite part but currently, my favorite part is watching my children take an active role.

Spell Family

Which is your favorite cupcake at Ava’s?

I love the Salted Caramel Mocha, Banana Guava, and the Lime & Basil. How can I choose just one?!

What is your most memorable baking moment?

I’ll never forget baking for days when our episode on Cupcakes Wars aired. We pumped out 1000’s of cupcakes and cookies to the hundreds of guests lined up for hours outside our tiny kitchen in NJ.

What was it like to be on, and win, Cupcake Wars?

Cupcake Wars was a dream for us. We worked very hard to compete and winning made all the difference. It changed the trajectory of Ava’s forever and we will never forget where we started.

Learn More About This Amazing Business Owner

Want to learn more about Michelle and what it’s like to own Ava’s Cupcakes? Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and tune in for our monthly Meet Michelle posts! In our January one, Michelle shared about family traditions to start the new year, such as making bread.

It’s like people LOVE us or something ;)

Zackary P.

Ava's Cupcakes is founded by Michelle Spell, the winner of the 4th season of the popular Food Network show, "Cupcake Wars". Winston-Salem is extremely fortunate to be the location she chose to open her cupcake shop. I've tried about 8 different cupcakes so far, and each one is packed with their own unique flavor, including creme brulee, apple pie, and s'mores. Contrary to other cupcake shops around WS, the sweetness... more

Ava’s Cupcakes is founded by Michelle Spell, the winner of the 4th season of the popular Food Network show, “Cupcake Wars”. Winston-Salem is extremely fortunate to be the location she chose to open her cupcake shop. I’ve tried about 8 different cupcakes so far, and each one is packed with their own unique flavor, including creme brulee, apple pie, and s’mores. Contrary to other cupcake shops around WS, the sweetness level of these cupcakes are within an acceptable range and will not make you frantically grab the closest glass of water to wash down the sugar. Although the sweetness can be slightly underwhelming at times and the fluffiness of the cupcake itself can be a bit too much, their cupcakes are still worth trying out!

WORTH IT? YES, they are the BEST cupcake shop in Winston-Salem and the greater Triad area (Overall 8/10)

Brooklyn White

Went into Ava’s and was greeted very pleasantly! The women working was very nice, I went in to try and get a cake because I had waited till last minute to get one for a birthday party, I got a strawberry’s and cream cake and mini cupcakes. They were a huge hit and so delicious!!!

Anthony C.

I had just come out of paradise nails and was craving something sweet so I decided to check out Ava's cupcake. Upon arrival, I was greeted and asked if I had been in their store before. Then I was explained which cupcakes were seasonal, regular, and cream cheese frosted. I tried the seminal cinnamon pumpkin first which was AMAZING. The cake was spongy, flavorful, and moist. The frosting was good... more

I had just come out of paradise nails and was craving something sweet so I decided to check out Ava’s cupcake. Upon arrival, I was greeted and asked if I had been in their store before. Then I was explained which cupcakes were seasonal, regular, and cream cheese frosted.

I tried the seminal cinnamon pumpkin first which was AMAZING. The cake was spongy, flavorful, and moist. The frosting was good because it was not overly sweet. For me, it’s a 10/10.

I saved the red velvet for the next day. My expectations were high since I tried the cinnamon pumpkin prior. I was a little disappointed, it was good but it was not spongy or moist as the cinnamon pumpkin. This could be because it needs to remain cold because of the crème cheese frosting. For me, it’s a 8/10.

Overall this place is good I’ll definitely be back to try more of their seasonal cupcakes.

Jenny N.

All their cupcakes are at least 8/10, apple pie is 10/10! Amazing cupcake place that won on an episode of Food Network's cupcake wars with their apple pie and banana guava flavored cupcakes. The quality of their cupcakes are INSANE and they have a plethora of flavors. Love that they have seasonal cupcakes during holidays or as the season change. I've shown multiple friends Ava's cupcakes and they are blown... more

All their cupcakes are at least 8/10, apple pie is 10/10!

Amazing cupcake place that won on an episode of Food Network’s cupcake wars with their apple pie and banana guava flavored cupcakes. The quality of their cupcakes are INSANE and they have a plethora of flavors. Love that they have seasonal cupcakes during holidays or as the season change. I’ve shown multiple friends Ava’s cupcakes and they are blown away every time even if they don’t have a sweet tooth.

I’ve tried basically all of their flavors, my favorites include apple pie, caramel apple, oreo, and creme brûlée. Most of the cupcakes have filling, a great frosting to cake ratio, and a very fluffy cupcake base. I find the frosting very sweet and often do not eat all of it but is a great occasional drink. Always great service as well and clean store interior.

Erik S.

Nothing has changed about my original review for Ava's. They continue to be the absolute best place around to get some treats and cupcakes, not once have they failed to impress or have I received anything that might have tasted less than fresh. This is my go to place to get cupcakes for any occasion, and they should be yours too. My favorite recent discovery from their wide flavor selection... more

Nothing has changed about my original review for Ava’s. They continue to be the absolute best place around to get some treats and cupcakes, not once have they failed to impress or have I received anything that might have tasted less than fresh. This is my go to place to get cupcakes for any occasion, and they should be yours too.

My favorite recent discovery from their wide flavor selection is their key lime flavor. Banana guava is still my absolute favorite, but the flavor pop of the lime in this cupcake was so zesty and balanced with the sweetness of the cupcake, perfect for a warm day!

Go to Ava’s, you won’t regret it!

Alyson Dietze

We ordered a vegan cake for my daughter’s first birthday since she has a cow milk protein allergy. It was not only beautiful but everyone at the party loved it, especially my daughter who smashed up and ate her own big piece! You would have never guessed it was vegan and the strawberry filling was wonderful. Thanks for making our celebration special!!

Chip R.

The Deets:On the occasion of finally getting to see my parents (we are all fully COVID-19 vaccinated now!), they brought me a couple of red velvet cupcakes from Ava's Cupcakes near where they are from. As red velvet is one of my favorite cake types, I was excited to give these a try. In having my first bite, I was pleasantly greeted with great taste...a classic red velvet taste but... more

The Deets:
On the occasion of finally getting to see my parents (we are all fully COVID-19 vaccinated now!), they brought me a couple of red velvet cupcakes from Ava’s Cupcakes near where they are from. As red velvet is one of my favorite cake types, I was excited to give these a try. In having my first bite, I was pleasantly greeted with great taste…a classic red velvet taste but not overpowering, nice and balanced. I like that the cupcake itself was sweet without being overly sweetened, again a good balance. It was a moist cupcake (was it the moistest cupcake ever for me, no, but certainly good and not dry and crumbly for sure). The cream cheese icing was tasty, a very good portion of it but just avoids being too massively overloaded. Overall, the red velvet cupcakes were delicious from Ava’s and I would definitely visit this shoppe if I had an opportunity when in that area.

Jeanine K.

A friend dropped these off for us and they are officially my favorite cupcake in the Winston/Clemmons area! The cupcake itself is moist and has great flavor and the icing is the perfect amount of sweet. I also LOVE that these all had a filling of some sort, it really gave the cupcake that extra depth in flavor.The 4 flavors we got were strawberry champagne, margarita, cookie dough and banana... more

A friend dropped these off for us and they are officially my favorite cupcake in the Winston/Clemmons area! The cupcake itself is moist and has great flavor and the icing is the perfect amount of sweet. I also LOVE that these all had a filling of some sort, it really gave the cupcake that extra depth in flavor.
The 4 flavors we got were strawberry champagne, margarita, cookie dough and banana guava.
My two favorites were the strawberry and the cookie dough (which are the ones I got a picture of the inside of).

We will DEFINITELY be stopping by to get more ASAP!

Helen Robinson

the cupcakes are amazing & the staff are always very friendly and helpful!Edit: if you haven’t tried the mini chocolate chip cookies, you’re seriously missing out! They’re amazing, I ended up buying three dozen within a week. I would be lying if I said I didn’t eat all of them by myself!

the cupcakes are amazing & the staff are always very friendly and helpful!
Edit: if you haven’t tried the mini chocolate chip cookies, you’re seriously missing out! They’re amazing, I ended up buying three dozen within a week. I would be lying if I said I didn’t eat all of them by myself!

Meet Michelle – Q&A with Owner of Ava’s Cupcakes

Why did you decide to open Ava’s Cupcakes?

What is your favorite part about owning Ava’s?

Which is your favorite cupcake at Ava’s?

What is your most memorable baking moment?

What was it like to be on, and win, Cupcake Wars?

Learn More About This Amazing Business Owner

It’s like people LOVE us or something ;)

Zackary P.

Brooklyn White

Anthony C.

Jenny N.

Erik S.

Alyson Dietze

Chip R.

Jeanine K.

Helen Robinson

Weddings

Obsessing over the most important cake of your life is what we do best.

Corporate Events

It’s your job to arrange sweets for the meeting?
We’ll make you look good!

Meet Michelle – Q&A with Owner of Ava’s Cupcakes

Why did you decide to open Ava’s Cupcakes?

What is your favorite part about owning Ava’s?

Which is your favorite cupcake at Ava’s?

What is your most memorable baking moment?

What was it like to be on, and win, Cupcake Wars?

Learn More About This Amazing Business Owner

It’s like people LOVE us or something ;)

Zackary P.

Brooklyn White

Anthony C.

Jenny N.

Erik S.

Alyson Dietze

Chip R.

Jeanine K.

Helen Robinson

Weddings

Obsessing over the most important cake of your life is what we do best.

Corporate Events

It’s your job to arrange sweets for the meeting? We’ll make you look good!

It’s your job to arrange sweets for the meeting?
We’ll make you look good!