Treat tasting with Theresa of Treet
Lucky folks of Washington, DC, have plenty of cupcake places to sample and delight in, which I think is wonderful (I'm all for cupcake proliferation, as long as it's with good cupcakes!), and now they can add one more treat shop: Treet Shop!
Nichelle and I recently had the pleasure of meeting Theresa Luongo Pinelli of Treet.
Theresa used to be a neighbor of mine in the East Village until recently (although we'd never met) and met us at Coyi Cafe on a recent visit up north to share cupcakes and chat. Theresa was in marketing, I think, locally, before becoming an ICE-trained pastry chef and setting up shop in Washington, DC, about three months ago.
She brought with her some of her delicious mini cupcakes, which she calls her Li'l Guilty Pleasures:
The three flavors she brought were X-Ray Vision carrot cake, Crem della Crem, and vanilla with chocolate frosting (mine were made with a shot of espresso!):
The vanilla with chocolate mocha frosting:
The frosting on this was delectable. A milk chocolate and coffee icing that is light and fluffy without the denseness that so many chocolate frostings suffer from. The vanilla cake was good too.
The X-Ray Vision carrot cake:
This one was my favorite, hands down. The topping was a spiced and cooked chopped nut sprinkling that I could have eaten by the handful. The cake was spicy and carrot-y but not overwhelmingly so. I didn't taste any raisins, pineapple, or nuts in the mix but I did taste a nutmeg and cinnamon flavor in the spongy moist cake. The frosting (which I also could have eaten by the handful, heh) was a light and almost airy maple cream cheese. Yum. This cupcake is a winner.
And the Crem della Crem:
I normally am not a huge fan of chocolate cake as you guys know but this one was good. Not dry or too heavy. The frosting was a light and smooth Swiss buttercream (no grain!). I think Theresa said she added some confectioners sugar to the buttercream to help it stand up against the heat. Note the tasty vanilla seeds from the bean? I love that!
I have to say I giggled when Theresa showed up to meet me, she was carrying a cooler that made her look, as she admitted, like she was transporting an organ. The cupcakes did hold up remarkably well as she visited on a hot and swampy/rainy NYC summer day in a place with no air conditioning.
Theresa herself is pretty nifty and knowledgeable and has clearly done her homework. I would totally be thrilled to have her mini cupcakes at any party or event. As her business is just starting out she's wisely chosen to keep a select few flavors and I am eager to see what she develops next. I see great possibilities. She tells me that she has a s'mores cupcake in development, as well as strawberry and funfetti, voted in by her fans.
Nichelle met us after an hour or so of cupcaking and I have to say it was tough to save her any of the cupcakes. *grin* It's only because I like her that I was able to do it...
There are many reasons to love Treet, aside from the yummy mini cupcakes:
Theresa is Chief Sweetness Officer. That's cute.
There's a commitment to green packaging, organic goods, sustainablility, and farmers markets.
The place is run by family: Two Theresas (mother and daughter) and two Vinnys (husband and father).
Treet blogs, Twitters, and Facebooks. A trifecta.
You can also get cookies, brownies, and scones/muffins from Treet.
Treet has a consistent and elegant brand in my favorite color, blue.
A couple of days after her visit, I received a handwritten thank you note and set of business cards (on matching Treet stationery) from Theresa, which I thought was wonderful. I love handwritten letters and cards (Rachel, too, is a known giver of amazing missives) but so rarely receive anything other than junk mail or bills in my mail.
Theresa's a class act. You can tell her I said that when you call her or email her for cupcakes 202.997.3057/theresa (at) treetshop.com. In fact, if you say "Stacie sent you," you can get a 10% discount on Treet products! The 10% discount is for first-time visitors only, and must be used with a minimum of a dozen mini cupcakes or, for delivery, a $25 minimum.
Delivery, catering, and market hours.
Shipping possible, but not, sadly, with the mini cupcakes.
Cupcakes a buck a pop, or $11.25 for a dozen.
See the whole set here; all photos by Stacie Joy.
Lucky folks of Washington, DC, have plenty of cupcake places to sample and delight in, which I think is wonderful (I'm all for cupcake proliferation, as long as it's with good cupcakes!), and now they can add one more treat shop: Treet Shop!
Nichelle and I recently had the pleasure of meeting Theresa Luongo Pinelli of Treet.
Theresa used to be a neighbor of mine in the East Village until recently (although we'd never met) and met us at Coyi Cafe on a recent visit up north to share cupcakes and chat. Theresa was in marketing, I think, locally, before becoming an ICE-trained pastry chef and setting up shop in Washington, DC, about three months ago.
She brought with her some of her delicious mini cupcakes, which she calls her Li'l Guilty Pleasures:
The three flavors she brought were X-Ray Vision carrot cake, Crem della Crem, and vanilla with chocolate frosting (mine were made with a shot of espresso!):
The vanilla with chocolate mocha frosting:
The frosting on this was delectable. A milk chocolate and coffee icing that is light and fluffy without the denseness that so many chocolate frostings suffer from. The vanilla cake was good too.
The X-Ray Vision carrot cake:
This one was my favorite, hands down. The topping was a spiced and cooked chopped nut sprinkling that I could have eaten by the handful. The cake was spicy and carrot-y but not overwhelmingly so. I didn't taste any raisins, pineapple, or nuts in the mix but I did taste a nutmeg and cinnamon flavor in the spongy moist cake. The frosting (which I also could have eaten by the handful, heh) was a light and almost airy maple cream cheese. Yum. This cupcake is a winner.
And the Crem della Crem:
I normally am not a huge fan of chocolate cake as you guys know but this one was good. Not dry or too heavy. The frosting was a light and smooth Swiss buttercream (no grain!). I think Theresa said she added some confectioners sugar to the buttercream to help it stand up against the heat. Note the tasty vanilla seeds from the bean? I love that!
I have to say I giggled when Theresa showed up to meet me, she was carrying a cooler that made her look, as she admitted, like she was transporting an organ. The cupcakes did hold up remarkably well as she visited on a hot and swampy/rainy NYC summer day in a place with no air conditioning.
Theresa herself is pretty nifty and knowledgeable and has clearly done her homework. I would totally be thrilled to have her mini cupcakes at any party or event. As her business is just starting out she's wisely chosen to keep a select few flavors and I am eager to see what she develops next. I see great possibilities. She tells me that she has a s'mores cupcake in development, as well as strawberry and funfetti, voted in by her fans.
Nichelle met us after an hour or so of cupcaking and I have to say it was tough to save her any of the cupcakes. *grin* It's only because I like her that I was able to do it...
There are many reasons to love Treet, aside from the yummy mini cupcakes:
Theresa is Chief Sweetness Officer. That's cute.
There's a commitment to green packaging, organic goods, sustainablility, and farmers markets.
The place is run by family: Two Theresas (mother and daughter) and two Vinnys (husband and father).
Treet blogs, Twitters, and Facebooks. A trifecta.
You can also get cookies, brownies, and scones/muffins from Treet.
Treet has a consistent and elegant brand in my favorite color, blue.
A couple of days after her visit, I received a handwritten thank you note and set of business cards (on matching Treet stationery) from Theresa, which I thought was wonderful. I love handwritten letters and cards (Rachel, too, is a known giver of amazing missives) but so rarely receive anything other than junk mail or bills in my mail.
Theresa's a class act. You can tell her I said that when you call her or email her for cupcakes 202.997.3057/theresa (at) treetshop.com. In fact, if you say "Stacie sent you," you can get a 10% discount on Treet products! The 10% discount is for first-time visitors only, and must be used with a minimum of a dozen mini cupcakes or, for delivery, a $25 minimum.
Delivery, catering, and market hours.
Shipping possible, but not, sadly, with the mini cupcakes.
Cupcakes a buck a pop, or $11.25 for a dozen.
See the whole set here; all photos by Stacie Joy.
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