Cupcakes take New Orleans

Emilie Bahr dives into the New Orleans cupcake scene, including Bee Sweet Cupcakes, Sucré, and The Kupcake Factory (in Kenner, LA) for New Orleans CityBusiness, and quotes me too. Photos from the website of The Kupcake Factory.



Bee Sweet Cupcakes is the latest indication that the cupcake craze has arrived in the Crescent City. The frosting-laden confection’s infiltration of the local market comes years after designer cupcakes were popularized by the likes of New York’s Magnolia Bakery in the late 1990s and copied in other trend-conscious cities.

In January, Claudia Melgar opened the Kupcake Factory in Kenner after arthritis and a decline in tourism post-Katrina caused her to give up her Warehouse District day spa. Unfazed by gloomy economic news, she plans to open two more cupcake outlets in New Orleans early next year.

High-end Magazine Street sweetshop Sucré now sells a $3.50 stuffed cupcake filled with ingredients ranging from lemon curd to chocolate sauce. And in 2006, longtime praline maker Jean Stickney expanded her business’ offerings — and name — to reflect the changing times. Her St. Charles Avenue storefront now cheerily boasts “Pralines by Jean ... and Cupcakes Too!”

“Cupcakes are a huge part (of business) now,” her daughter, Rachel Stickney, said. “At first, New Orleans was a little hesitant to jump on the cupcake bandwagon, but it’s definitely grown and we get huge orders. We did 200 cupcakes for one person last weekend.”

Devall said her bakery, which produces between 400 and 500 cupcakes daily, had to shut down early every day one recent weekend after demand outpaced production capacity. Less than a month after opening, she is considering expanding, retaining her Magazine Street storefront but finding a larger kitchen.

Some enthusiasts proffer that not even a souring economy will seriously affect consumers’ taste for cupcakes — that the couple of dollars spent on a few bites of cake and frosting makes the pastry an affordable luxury recalling simpler, less stressful times.

“A cupcake is something everyone can indulge in,” said Melissa Hirstius, a graphic designer who works for the group of restaurants that includes Sucré. “Its appeal comes from people who are searching for a treat that is simple and nostalgic, a sugary comfort food that is inexpensive and less indulgent than a whole cake.”



Bakeries mentioned:

Bee Sweet Cupcakes
5706 Magazine St.
New Orleans, LA 70115
504-891-8333
Zoey at BeeSweetCupcakes.com

The Kupcake Factory
910 West Esplanade Ave.
Kenner, LA
504-464-8884
claudia at thekupcakefactory.com
(2nd location opening soon in Uptown New Orleans)