Nothing brightens the mood of a corporate office more than a big box of magnificently frosted cupcakes. Before we elevated our status to the positions of magazine editors and writers, we at Liberty Watch toiled � and a few of us continue to toil � in places we wouldn�t banish our worst enemies: cubicle farms. The only thing that keeps people alive in such dire circumstances is ready access to caffeine and sugar, and the knowledge that our bosses, however confidently they stride to and from their windowed office that they keep all to themselves, will likely be fired, promoted or fall victim to yet another merger or buyout in the coming months. Good riddance to those bastards.
Meantime, you can take much solace in the sugary heaven offered by The Cupcakery, a cute and cozy little cupcake stand on the northeast corner of Eastern Avenue and Silverado Ranch Boulevard. The Cupcakery is the sweet dream of Pamela Jenkins. It was less than three years ago that Jenkins, 25 at the time, left her job at the Golden Nugget to start her own business. Inspired by a newspaper article about a woman in San Francisco selling homemade cupcakes from the trunk of her car, Jenkins noted that gourmet bake shops were spreading like wildfire across the U.S. and especially on the West Coast. Sensing a smart and creatively satisfying opportunity, she decided to launch her venture with the help of two business partners. The Cupcakery opened its ovens in January of 2006, and in its first year of business alone sold more than a quarter-million cupcakes. (That�s a lot of sweetness to put out into the world.)
Jenkins was confident her business would triumph in the Vegas Valley. Born and raised in Jacksboro, Texas, she has studied and worked in just about every part of the globe � New York City, Spain and Argentina, among other cities and countries. She claims to be a total foodie, and considers Las Vegas to be a world-class culinary destination. And she�s one of the few women on the planet who doesn�t take offense if you call her �Cupcake.� (Just to be safe, though, add the word �Queen� afterward, OK?)
Earlier this year, Jenkins bought out her partners and teamed up with her uncle in order to conquer every unconverted sweet tooth. With a second store opening in Summerlin soon, it looks like domination is inevitable. Cupcakes are priced at $2.50 per cake, $28 per dozen, but they are worth much, much more. In fact, because they�re handcrafted, they are like miniature works of fine art. We were almost too intimidated to eat them; they are so visually appealing. Almost.
Take, for instance, the ganache, a vanilla cake with a silky chocolate truffle center and topped with vanilla and chocolate buttercreams. Sure, we�ve all heard the characterization of dessert melting in one�s mouth, but these cupcakes do precisely that. Or try the orgasmically good Boston Dream, a moist yellow cake filled with Bavarian cream and topped with a cap of chocolate ganache. You�ll never settle for doughnuts again.
Admittedly, though, our tastes run a little to the �different� side of the spectrum, and so we eagerly anticipated the cupcakes called �Strawberry Shortcake� (strawberry and vanilla cake made tastier with strawberry buttercream and a dollop of frosting) and �Chocolate Peanut Butter� (a simple chocolate cake adorned with crunchy peanut butter frosting). Surprisingly, when sampled back-to-back, these cupcakes still kicked butt.
So when your boss has got you down and your co-workers look a tad suicidal, get thee to The Cupcakery. Sugar makes everything feel better � even being shackled to a cubicle.
The Cupcakery is located at 9680 S. Eastern Ave., Suite 100. For hours and more info, call 702-207-CAKE.
