yummmmmm

We get so involved with the cupcakes that we sometimes forget to mention our fabulous deli.  Tonight I wanted something good to eat so I threw a lot of greens into a bowl.  Topped it with carrots, sliced cucumbers, peppers, carrots, mushrooms and grated cheese.  To add a bit more protein I used some of our tantalizing BBQ pork, added a touch of Fat Free Raspberry Vinaigrette dressing, and a new dish is born...I call it Peek-A-Boo salad.  There was such an array of things hiding under tasty layers.  Yummmmm.

A picture is worth a 1000 words...

How does one eat a cupcake?  Why one lick at a time of course!  Mackenzie is usually quite talkative except when eating her cupcake.  She finished her cupcake looked at her mom and me and informed us that she will be having her birthday party here next week.  A woman that knows her mind.

 And yes, we do birthday parties.  Decorate your own cupcakes and we take care of the baking, the frosting the decorations and most importantly the clean-up.  Call for pricing and to book your date.

Chai Latte...cupcake that is.

One of our most popular flavors is Chai Latte' Cupcakes.  We added a candy handle and made this delightful tea cup for a little girl's Tea Party.  Have your tea and eat it too....

Not.......quite yet!

We were ready for opening day, however there was still an important hurdle to surmount...the Health Inspection.  Although all the applications and fees had been paid an appointment to be inspected was mandatory.  We had to wait our turn. 

The Tri-City Herald had printed an article about us, http://www.tri-cityherald.com/915/story/609860.html announcing that we would open on June 19, 2009.  Could the newspaper be wrong?   I called the Health Department on the 18th, and whether it was my now well honed persuasiveness  or my copious tears we had our appointment for 8:00 am on the 19th. Hallelujah!  11:00 am Friday June 19th we opened our doors... and closed them at 1:19 PM.  We were sold out!!!  We were also booked for weddings through September of 2010.  We were in business.  Thank You Lord!

Wow.. what a busy day!

I am so sorry that I deprived you cupcake junkies of your sugar high for 4 whole days...while we took a Christmas break.  But you got me.  I have been baking all day and I still wasn't able to keep up.  I am now sitting at my desk in my office/storage room with one foot on the garbage can ( I affectionately call it the file cabinet) how did I get that hole in my sock(?), typing away on my 2nd blog post of the New Year, using not just 2, but 3 fingers.  This blogging really brings out ones hidden talents.

Yesterday I told you a little bit about how we came to be the Premier Cupcake Business and I,  the Cupcake Diva,  in the Tri-Cities, (Pasco, Kennewick & Richland), WA.

Our Farmers market sales were not a large enough venue to support a new business.  What we needed was an economical space to rent that had sufficient equipment to expand our fledgling business.  We needed to bake more cupcakes.

After searching for more than a year, we found our location in Historic Downtown Kennewick. The definition of Historic is old, outdated, barely functional with limited access. Ummmm I guess some could say that is a definition of me.   It was run down, not well maintained and smelled of old grease & dirt from the previous tenant.  Located in a quaint (hidden) little area of the downtown parkade, it was perfect! It was also an opportunity to negotiate with the landlord to work for the deposit and some rent.  Enough to get us in and get us going. 

3 months of stripping, ripping, tearing, cleaning and painting and I realized the landlords negotiation skills were much more finely honed than mine.  We painted the walls, a bright sunny yellow, with red doors and a touch of royal blue. It is always bright and sunny in our shop, no matter how dreary the day, all who enter can't resist a smile. After a name change to better reflect who we are and our logo, the now familiar "cupcakes bakery & deli" giant cupcake in the window we were ready for our grand opening!  Not......

Welcome to Milli's Cupcake blog....

This is the first blog from Cupcakes Bakery & Deli. To begin, a little about how we came to be. I have been following the cupcake craze since 2006.  I was amazed at the popularity of those little cakes.  And even more amazed at the prices they commanded.  I started following several blogs and watching as cupcake stores cropped up from coast to coast. I watched and waited to see who would be first in our community.  Three cupcake businesses were listed in our telephone directory but none answered when called.  The only cupcakes available in Tri-Cities, WA were from large chain in-store bakeries.  Nothing like the gourmet confections that I wanted to bake.

For three years my patient husband listened as I became more and more excited about baking these little treats. I tested,refined and changed every recipe I knew and others that I invented.  My clients at my other business (I own an insurance agency) became my official tasters and chief promoters. After entering an online recipe contest sponsored by Kraft foods,  I received so many compliments and requests for my Banana Split Cupcake that I knew I could do this. So in 2007 with recipes in hand, a minuscule budget and a lot of enthusiasm, husband James and I launched "Milli's Cupcake Frenzy".

Initially, we rented by the hour space at The Pasco Specialty Kitchen.  This is a fantastic way to begin a food business without the enormous capital outlay needed to equip a full bakery or restaurant operation.  The City owns and operates a state of the art certified kitchen.  Management, marketing and even budgeting advice was available to us.  We sold  our goods on Saturday mornings at the Pasco  Farmers Market.  I baked 10 dozen cupcakes to sell  and James made his mouth watering pulled pork sandwiches.  Within a few weeks we had developed a following at the market.  We launched a web site, printed business cards and brochures  and our new and  exciting business was born!