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Imagine being told you need to make one thousand
cupcakes in only two hours. Just the thought of that makes
me nervous but throw in the fact that it is for a competition
and is being filmed for TV, that’s even scarier!
This is the scenario Shelly Stannard (owner of Flavor
Cupcakery in BelAir—www.flavorcupcakery.com) and
Jason Hinsley (head pastry chef) found themselves in
recently. Believe it or not, they actually signed themselves
up for this by submitting an audition tape, with the help of
a few students from HCC, to The Food Network in hopes
of being asked to participate in the show Cupcake Wars.
If you are not familiar with Cupcake Wars it is a
competition where four different bakeries and/or
cupcakeries compete to see who has the best cupcakes. The competitors are given a theme to follow and there are three rounds, with one competitor being eliminated each round. The overall goal of the competition is to win $10,000 and the chance to have your cupcakes on display for the opening night of “The Nutcracker” by the New York City Ballet at Lincoln center. The episode, which featured Flavor Cupcakery, was a Nutcracker themed show. In round one the contestants were tasked with coming up with a cupcake using 3 different ingredients from “The Land of Sweets” which features Desserts from around the world. You can actually see the recipe for their cupcake here. Be warned the skill level for this cupcake is difficult and it may be easier to call and ask Flavor Cupcakery when they will have their award winning cupcakes available for purchase.
The judges Florian Ballanger (owner of Mad Mac
Macarons), Candace Nelson (Founder of Sprinkles
Cupcakes), and Faye Arthues (Guest judge from New
York City Ballet) LOVED this cupcake and so Shelley
and Jason moved on to round two.
In round two, contestants are given seventy-five
minutes to come up with three different cupcakes
that “Celebrate the flavor of The Nutcracker but also
embody the visual beauty of its dances.”
The cupcakes were judged with 50% of the score
coming from taste and 50% of the score coming
from the design. When this round was over there
were only two contestants left and they went
on to compete for title of Cupcake Wars winner.
I don’t want to give away all the details but, with some
beautiful and delicious cupcakes, Flavor Cupcakery
danced their way to the final part of the competition.
During the third round of the show the contestants
have to speak with a carpenter and give them details
of their vision for a beautiful display which will house
the one thousand cupcakes they will make. The display is built while the cupcakes are being made. The contestants are given a few extra helpers to assist with making all those cupcakes but still time is of the essence.
By this time I was on the edge of my seat while watching the show. I was very excited to know someone in the final round and after hearing the teams discuss the ideas for their displays, I really thought Flavor Cupcakery had this win in the bag. Once I saw the display I knew it. It was beautiful and really accentuated the attention to detail put into every cupcake. The judges agreed and Flavor was declared the winner of Cupcake Wars.
In speaking with Shelley shortly after the episode aired, you could hear the pride in her voice. Flavor Cupcakery has only been open a year and yet they were already on display for the entire nation. When Shelley envisioned her professional life, she really wanted a “pretty little shop, with beautiful things that made people happy.” At some point, someone suggested a cupcake shop and she realized it would be a great opportunity to combine her business mind with an outlet for her creative desires.
The next step was finding a head pastry chef who could help fulfill her vision. Enter Jason Hinsley, with a four-year culinary degree, and the dream partnership began. Shelley describes this as more of a director and artist type of working relationship. Jason has the knowledge and skill to bring many of Shelley’s visions to fruition and together they make cupcake magic.
I had the opportunity to taste several flavors of cupcakes from Flavor Cupcakery and they were all DELICIOUS. I haven’t made it by yet to try the flavors that won them Cupcake Wars but I see a trip there in the near future. Dance on by and try some yourself you won’t be disappointed.
If you are interested in seeing the episode in which Flavor Cupcakery was featured, check it out here. The holidays may be over but, after watching this episode, you may find yourself going to bed with visions of sugarplums dancing in your heads.
— Michele Wieland
Battle of the Cupcake
