Today's cupcake interviewee, Bre Pettis, is the organizer of next Monday's cupcake decorating contest in New York City (view the rules here). Allison and I are going to be guest judges! Please join us (and also come out to next Wednesday's Cupcake 2.0 Social) for lots of cupcake decorating fun. We can't wait to see what you concoct.
Name: Bre Pettis
Age: 2x2x3x3
Location: Brooklyn
Occupation: Etsy New Media
URL: brepettis.com
For those who don't know, please tell us a little about Ignite NYC and why you started it.
Seattle needed a geek night. Michael Arrington of Techcrunch came to town and threw a geek party two and a half years ago and it was all the geeks could talk about for months. My pal Brady Forrest and I decided that we needed to support the geek scene with an event that would inspire creativity, learning, talking, and have drinking involved. The event was so fun that that Brady and I decided to open it up and share with whoever wanted to steal the format. I live in NYC now too, so it just made sense to do one here.
Why did you decide to hold a cupcake decorating competition as part of Ignite NYC?
I love cupcakes, they are an inspiration to me. The art of cake decorating needs more recognition in the public sphere. I've always appreciated cupcakes as delectable treats, but recently at an Etsy Labs cupcake night I saw the power that cupcakes have to bring people together.
Participants have about 45 minutes to decorate their cupcakes. What kinds of cupcakes do you expect to see or would you like to see?
I think seeing what people come up with is going to be super interesting. I predict we'll see everything from special drawings made of icing to geometric cupcake sphere sculptures held together with popsicle sticks. I'll have the basics there, but there are going to be a lot of contestants and so if folks really want to make something beyond icing decoration, they should bring creative things with them.
Want to recreate Jurassic Park on a cupcake? Bring your own plastic dinosaurs or be prepared to sculpt a dinosaur out of frosting! Also, folks don't have to use my cupcakes, they can bring their own cupcake masterpieces and take as much time as they need in the days before the competition.
You'll be making the cake portion of the cupcakes for the championship. Do you know which recipe you'll be using? Do you have a cupcake baking secret or advice for making them en masse?
I'm going to be baking the cakes with my friend Alicia Gibb. We've been scheming how we're going to make a billion cupcakes in my tiny oven.
What's the most outrageously decorated cupcake you've ever seen (or eaten)?
I like oldskool 8bit games and I've seen a few cupcakes on flickr that go along with the theme of Mario Bros. I've also seen cupcakes with electronics in them. I specifically made the rules vague to encourage outrageous creations.
What would your dream cupcake look and taste like?
I think the most important part of a cupcake is that edge around the top. You just know when that's done right.
What's the connection between cupcakes and Web 2.0? How does the cupcake decorating championship fit into the theme of Ignite NYC II?
Cupcakes have rounded corners I suppose…Everyone tries to make things Web 2.0 these days. I think folks should be trying to make things more like cupcakes instead.
And now for some personal questions…
How often do you eat cupcakes?
Not nearly enough! When I was a schoolteacher, kids were bringing them in all the time and I had a real habit going. Now, since I work a lot and then work on my own personal projects in my spare time, I don't have nearly enough time to eat nearly enough cupcakes.
What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?
The first bite.
What's your favorite type of cupcake?
I'm a sucker for feather boa cakes. I love coconut.
How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?
If you compare anything to a cupcake it fails. Try it: spaghetti vs. cupcake, tofu vs. cupcake, going on vacation to a remote island vs. a cupcake…ok, that one is a toss up.
Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?
I'd like to see cupcakes made in zero gravity but if they were totally round, where would you put the frosting? I suppose you'd have to put it all over. Space travel may end up being the only innovation that could improve the cupcake. ICANHASCUPCAKESINSPACEPLZKTHKSBAI
Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?
Right now I'm more of a cupcake eater than maker. Someday I'd like to do a whirlwind cupcake tour of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Do you have anything else to add?
My main challenge with cupcakes is eating them slow. I have the super-power to take things into my body at an alarming rate. I suppose it's a habit left over from being a schoolteacher and never having enough time to eat. It's always a battle for me to make a cupcake last.
Name: Bre Pettis
Age: 2x2x3x3
Location: Brooklyn
Occupation: Etsy New Media
URL: brepettis.com
For those who don't know, please tell us a little about Ignite NYC and why you started it.
Seattle needed a geek night. Michael Arrington of Techcrunch came to town and threw a geek party two and a half years ago and it was all the geeks could talk about for months. My pal Brady Forrest and I decided that we needed to support the geek scene with an event that would inspire creativity, learning, talking, and have drinking involved. The event was so fun that that Brady and I decided to open it up and share with whoever wanted to steal the format. I live in NYC now too, so it just made sense to do one here.
Why did you decide to hold a cupcake decorating competition as part of Ignite NYC?
I love cupcakes, they are an inspiration to me. The art of cake decorating needs more recognition in the public sphere. I've always appreciated cupcakes as delectable treats, but recently at an Etsy Labs cupcake night I saw the power that cupcakes have to bring people together.
Participants have about 45 minutes to decorate their cupcakes. What kinds of cupcakes do you expect to see or would you like to see?
I think seeing what people come up with is going to be super interesting. I predict we'll see everything from special drawings made of icing to geometric cupcake sphere sculptures held together with popsicle sticks. I'll have the basics there, but there are going to be a lot of contestants and so if folks really want to make something beyond icing decoration, they should bring creative things with them.
Want to recreate Jurassic Park on a cupcake? Bring your own plastic dinosaurs or be prepared to sculpt a dinosaur out of frosting! Also, folks don't have to use my cupcakes, they can bring their own cupcake masterpieces and take as much time as they need in the days before the competition.
You'll be making the cake portion of the cupcakes for the championship. Do you know which recipe you'll be using? Do you have a cupcake baking secret or advice for making them en masse?
I'm going to be baking the cakes with my friend Alicia Gibb. We've been scheming how we're going to make a billion cupcakes in my tiny oven.
What's the most outrageously decorated cupcake you've ever seen (or eaten)?
I like oldskool 8bit games and I've seen a few cupcakes on flickr that go along with the theme of Mario Bros. I've also seen cupcakes with electronics in them. I specifically made the rules vague to encourage outrageous creations.
What would your dream cupcake look and taste like?
I think the most important part of a cupcake is that edge around the top. You just know when that's done right.
What's the connection between cupcakes and Web 2.0? How does the cupcake decorating championship fit into the theme of Ignite NYC II?
Cupcakes have rounded corners I suppose…Everyone tries to make things Web 2.0 these days. I think folks should be trying to make things more like cupcakes instead.
And now for some personal questions…
How often do you eat cupcakes?
Not nearly enough! When I was a schoolteacher, kids were bringing them in all the time and I had a real habit going. Now, since I work a lot and then work on my own personal projects in my spare time, I don't have nearly enough time to eat nearly enough cupcakes.
What's the best thing about eating cupcakes?
The first bite.
What's your favorite type of cupcake?
I'm a sucker for feather boa cakes. I love coconut.
How do cupcakes compare/contrast to other baked goods for you?
If you compare anything to a cupcake it fails. Try it: spaghetti vs. cupcake, tofu vs. cupcake, going on vacation to a remote island vs. a cupcake…ok, that one is a toss up.
Is there any innovation you'd like to see made to the cupcake that would improve it for you?
I'd like to see cupcakes made in zero gravity but if they were totally round, where would you put the frosting? I suppose you'd have to put it all over. Space travel may end up being the only innovation that could improve the cupcake. ICANHASCUPCAKESINSPACEPLZKTHKSBAI
Do you bake your own cupcakes? Or (even better) have someone who bakes them for you?
Right now I'm more of a cupcake eater than maker. Someday I'd like to do a whirlwind cupcake tour of Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Do you have anything else to add?
My main challenge with cupcakes is eating them slow. I have the super-power to take things into my body at an alarming rate. I suppose it's a habit left over from being a schoolteacher and never having enough time to eat. It's always a battle for me to make a cupcake last.
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