Yes, there is another Babycakes. But this time, it's in Asia, Hong Kong, to be specific, so we can cut them some slack in the naming department. If we have any Hong Kong readers, we'd love it if you'd check out Babycakes and give us a report.
from ABS-CBN News Online:
"One of the big factors behind why I gave up banking was less travel and more time at home with my kids -- right now I have even less time with them, although that is starting to change," said Campbell, who describes himself as Chief Cupcake Officer on his business cards.
"But go back to banking? No way."
Campbell opened his new venture in January, but he had been plotting every detail for years, from the retro, 1950s decor to the child-sized sink, front door and even toilet that sit alongside the adult-sized versions.
It was the same meticulous analysis he used when assessing distressed debt opportunities in the region, he said.
He visited more than 50 coffee shops and cake stores in the United States and his home country of Canada for ideas after giving up his job at Deutsche Bank in early 2007.
But his biggest and most important challenge was learning to bake cupcakes, and refine the recipe for Asia's particular palette...
"How can you bake 3,000 to 6,000 cakes a day out of my kitchen and still maintain the quality when one day it is five degrees and 40 percent humidity and another it is 35 degrees and 98 percent humidity?"
Campbell then embarked on developing his own buttercream recipe to suit his Asian target audience. His 12-cupcake range now includes the Yin and Yang, a chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. "Ours stays soft for days, it is a true Italian buttercream. They are beautiful," he said.
Babycakes is based in a shopping mall in Ap Lei Chau, where people can pop in to buy cakes and drinks. However, from the kitchen -- the centre of the operation -- Campbell also takes delivery orders for anywhere from banks to corporate clients and individuals for parties.
from ABS-CBN News Online:
"One of the big factors behind why I gave up banking was less travel and more time at home with my kids -- right now I have even less time with them, although that is starting to change," said Campbell, who describes himself as Chief Cupcake Officer on his business cards.
"But go back to banking? No way."
Campbell opened his new venture in January, but he had been plotting every detail for years, from the retro, 1950s decor to the child-sized sink, front door and even toilet that sit alongside the adult-sized versions.
It was the same meticulous analysis he used when assessing distressed debt opportunities in the region, he said.
He visited more than 50 coffee shops and cake stores in the United States and his home country of Canada for ideas after giving up his job at Deutsche Bank in early 2007.
But his biggest and most important challenge was learning to bake cupcakes, and refine the recipe for Asia's particular palette...
"How can you bake 3,000 to 6,000 cakes a day out of my kitchen and still maintain the quality when one day it is five degrees and 40 percent humidity and another it is 35 degrees and 98 percent humidity?"
Campbell then embarked on developing his own buttercream recipe to suit his Asian target audience. His 12-cupcake range now includes the Yin and Yang, a chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. "Ours stays soft for days, it is a true Italian buttercream. They are beautiful," he said.
Babycakes is based in a shopping mall in Ap Lei Chau, where people can pop in to buy cakes and drinks. However, from the kitchen -- the centre of the operation -- Campbell also takes delivery orders for anywhere from banks to corporate clients and individuals for parties.
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