Mary Beall Adler was a third-year law student when she discovered her future lay not inside a courtroom but rather at the chewy heart of a cinnamon-raisin bagel. Now in her inspirational memoir, Who Scooped My Bagel?: One Woman’s Story of Love, Loss and Success, she shares the triumphant account of her journey from law-school to award-winning CEO of Georgetown Bagelry.

Nicknamed “the Bagel Lady” at Antioch School of Law, where she sold homemade sandwiches and bagels to her classmates to make ends meet, Adler always knew she had a powerful survival instinct. But at the age of twenty-two, she could not anticipate the turbulent marriage that one day she would be forced to leave, with three children to raise and a business to run. With no formal business training, she leveraged every ounce of dedication, passion, and creativity she possessed to turn a floundering Washington, D.C. bagel shop into “the best bagel bakery south of New York City.”

Who Scooped My Bagel? is the story of how Mary Beall Adler overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles to become the leader her business needed to stabilize and grow into a beloved Georgetown institution. Every challenge encountered became an opportunity for improvement and growth. She learned when to follow her instincts and when to ask for help, nurturing a team atmosphere in which employees were treated as valuable partners.

Today the legacy of her bold venture is a powerful small business supported by a community of loyal customers and long-term employees, a nationally recognized brand that, at its heart, remains a family.

Who Scooped My Bagel?: One Woman’s Story of Love, Loss and Success is available through Amazon.com and at www.marybealladler.com.