|
|
|
Features |
|
“Live the sweet life. Keep it simple,” is “CoCo’s Spirit” at the Cupcake Café on Ellsworth Avenue. “Good times. Good Taste.” Simplicity and indulgence are key in the national cupcake craze, and Pittsburgh seems to be catching on. Dozen Cupcakes, on Murray Avenue, and CoCo ‘s Cupcake Café, both of which opened within the past year, have redefined chic to include cupcakes. David Wojtnik and James Gray of Dozen, both originally from Chicago, decided to start a bakery specializing in cupcakes during the summer of last year. ”We really liked the cupcake concept,” said Wojtnik. “You don’t have to buy an entire cake to enjoy it. We’re an on-the-go society, and cupcakes are perfect for that.” Wojtnik describes Dozen Cupcakes as “Modern Martha. It’s cozy, comfortable, but also updated. We also use natural and organic ingredients, and local dairy. All the cows are from Pennsylvania,” he Dozen Cupcakes features an extensive range of creative flavors, including the Pineapple Upside-Down Cupcake, Orange Blossom, Root Beer Float, and The Elvis (a banana cupcake filled with chocolate buttercream and topped with peanut-butter buttercream). Dozen Cupcakes has recently started “Mystery Flavor Friday”, offering a new flavor every week (It’s not unusual for Dozen fans to carry a schedule of flavors offered each day). ”I love Dozen Cupcakes,” said Allderdice junior Peter Schillo. ”I love the cupcakes themselves, but the atmosphere is great too. The people there are really friendly. It’s small, but it’s also intimate. I recommend the Rocky Road, but there’s a huge variety of great cupcakes.” ”A cupcake is a blank canvas,” said Wojtnik, when asked about the art of baking and inventing new flavors. ”It’s definitely an art,” said Gray. “Ideas [for flavors] sometimes just pop into my head.” Gray, who describes his work as “avant-garde,” believes that a whimsical sense of humor is necessary. |
|
Some of the delicious treats offered at these new shops. |
|
Cupcakes Cater to Pittsburgh's Craving |
|
By Mohana Ravindranath
|
|
The Allderdice Foreword An Award Wining Publication |