From Briefcase to Babka: Alexandria Military Lawyer Whips Up a Sweet Success Story

Alexandria, VA – When you walk into Bagel Uprising in the heart of bustling Del Ray, you expect a bagel. You order a fresh Everything bagel with lox and schmear, grab coffee from across the street, and sit in Pat Miller Neighborhood Square to savor your tasty breakfast while there’s still a cool early morning breeze.

You can still get all that. But did you know that Bagel Uprising now also sells homemade, baked-in-the-shop babka, that iconic Jewish pastry bread? It is whipped up each week by Justin Silverman, attorney by day, baker by night. Bagel Uprising has been selling Silverman’s babkas since last August.

Justin Silverman loves to bake. His passion for baking stretches all the way back to his childhood when he begged his mother to let him mix and measure. He even had an Easy-Bake oven.

Silverman, 49, is a full-time US military attorney and the married father of two young sons. But a dream tugged at him. He always dreamed of baking babkas and selling them. How was he going to pull this off? How was he going to juggle a full-time law career, family, civic engagement, and a side baking gig? Where would he start? His wife’s chance encounter with a Del Ray resident set the ball in motion.

“He said, ‘Delray is a great place. They are so supportive of small and local businesses. You could not have a better place to start up a small business, you should absolutely do it.’ You know, I’m getting older and I thought it’s now or never,” Silverman admitted.

Silverman is an Air Force JAG and he and his family have lived in Alexandria for eight years. “I have always loved to bake; it’s just acts of service for my love language,” he shared. “Providing food for people is my favorite act of service.”

This reporter visited Justin Silverman in Bagel Uprising’s kitchen after hours in late June to watch him prepare his craft step by step. On Mount Vernon Avenue, where the aroma of  freshly baked bagels lingers, Silverman whips up creative confections that transform raw dough into molten gold.

Silverman fashions exquisite babkas the size of muffins into lemon, chocolate, and cinnamon servings. During holiday season, he introduces new flavors like apple cider and cranberry gingerbread. He’s currently working on a s’more creation.

The journey from legal briefs to luscious babkas was not a straightforward one. With a demanding career and a young family, the dream of launching a food enterprise seemed daunting. Silverman’s initial thoughts drifted to farmers’ markets, but the time commitment felt insurmountable.

A casual conversation with Arden Levy, a close friend and fellow attorney, proved to be a pivotal moment. Silverman shared his baking ambitions, wondering if Levy knew any lawyers who had successfully ventured into side food businesses. He hoped to glean insights into balancing a demanding full-time career with an intense side gig. Fortuitously, Arden knew just the person. She introduced Silverman to her friend Chad Breckinridge, who had opened Bagel Uprising in 2015 while maintaining his own full-time legal career and family life.

The meeting with Breckinridge was more fruitful than Silverman could have imagined. Not only did Breckinridge offer invaluable advice on time management and entrepreneurship, he also presented an unexpected opportunity. Breckinridge invited Silverman to use Bagel Uprising‘s kitchen in the evenings, after the shop closed.

A budding business relationship was born. Silverman began baking babka entirely from scratch at Bagel Uprising and selling it in the shop. Babka, a traditional Jewish pastry bread, is more like a bread than a cake. “It’s rich without being overwhelmingly rich, and it’s sweet without being overwhelmingly sweet,” Silverman, who is Jewish, explained. His babka is plant-based, a decision influenced by his desire to make it accessible to everyone, from those who keep kosher to others with dietary restrictions.

“I also wanted to do something that is environmentally friendly. I wanted to be environmentally conscious in running a business. It fits into the whole plant-based thing, right? How much land does it take to produce a cup of soy milk versus a cup of regular milk? It’s more efficient.”

Breckinridge marveled at the quality of Silverman’s babkas, noting that people are often surprised to learn it’s plant-based. “I can’t tell,” he laughed. Sales are picking up steadily. As of June, May was the best month yet, Breckinridge mentioned.

Silverman’s dedication to his craft is evident in every piece of babka he bakes, ensuring that each mouthful is a work of art. “It’s all homemade, from start to finish,” he said proudly. “It’s my product so I want to do it all myself.”

Silverman’s meticulous process involves making the dough and filling on Thursdays, shaping and baking on Fridays, and having the babka ready for sale by Saturday morning. Since customers come in for bagels, Silverman offers babka samples to whet their appetites. Customers try it, ask, can I buy this? “Yes, it’s right there on the counter!” Silverman responds. Shop owner Breckinridge nodded. “I have never heard anyone say anything other than these are amazing.”

Owner Breckinridge says the babka his shop sells is “really really local.” That goes for other products as well. “Even the bees for our honey are locally sourced from the neighborhood.” Breckenridge is married to Joy, who is Jewish. He began baking bagels for his daughter’s Bat Mitzvah and realized he liked doing it.

“Justin was doing something really similar that also had roots in Jewish identity and Jewish culture,” Breckinridge offered.

Balancing a full-time job, family responsibilities, and a baking business is no small feat. Silverman credits his wife for helping him manage it all. “Deborah is very supportive, and often, if I ask her to help me out with something, she will,” Silverman acknowledged.

You may have bought some babka at Trader Joe’s and envisioned the classic Jewish loaf, which originated in Poland and Ukraine. Babka is a diminutive for “Babba” which means grandmother in Yiddish. But Silverman went in a different direction. Inspired by the bagel model, where customers can buy three everything, two poppy, and one cinnamon, for example, Silverman settled on the mix-and-match approach. He creates small, individual, detailed pastries. “They can pick the flavors they like,” Silverman noted.

Silverman delicately slices open a babka to reveal a soft, moist, intricate interior with rich layers of filling and a coating of sweet streusel topping his creation.

“These are the perfect size for a single serving,” Silverman pointed out. “You have your little piece of babka with your cup of coffee or tea. And, you know, it’s very satisfying. You don’t need a knife. You just take your piece.”

For Del Ray residents and visitors, authentic babka on The Avenue is just another reason to visit their favorite bagel spot. As long as people continue to enjoy his delectable delights, Silverman intends to keep producing them. “If people want it, I’m happy to make it,” he said. “Making babka is a very soothing Zen process. Kind of my happy place.”

All photos by John Canery/The Zebra Press