« Caption Contest | Main | Cluck You Sienna »
November 13, 2006
Bake Sale Chic comes to Pittsburgh
Fundraiser food all the rage.
In New York City there's Cupcake Cafe. In San Francisco there's Citizen Cupcake. In Pittsburgh it'll be Dozen Cupcakes.
Cupcake culture (you read it right) is arriving in Pittsburgh in December. The latest fad in Boomer "comfort food" pops out of the Easy-Bake Oven and onto a bistro table in Squirrel Hill in December. Dozen Cupcakes co-owners James Gray and David Wojtnick describe their future cafe as the "newest urban cupcake experience." A date has yet to be set for the grand opening.
Cupcake cafes are newish but not new. In D.C., Warren Brown Jr., a former federal agency lawyer got a lot of press for his career shift into making gourmet cakes and cupcakes and got on Oprah some years ago. He runs Cake Love and a separate cupcake and mini-cake cafe with coffee and WiFi across the street from his original bakery.
Will cupcakes replace The Cosmo? Send Dish your thoughts on this latest trend.
Joel Lawson of D.C. contributed to this story.
November 13, 2006 in Business & Retail, Food and Drink, Grand Openings | Permalink
Comments
I had an awful experience at Dozen. It all stemmed from their dry, flavorless cupcakes. I emailed the store with some constructive criticism...such as adding a case of some sort that would enable them to serve fresh cupcakes. However, the cupcake proved to be the best part of my experience with Dozen (even though it was awful) as the response to my email was by no means professional and clearly showed that their customer services is obviously as lackluster as their products. They replied to my email by calling me "prejorative" and made it apparent that he (the owner) was by no means tying to apologize for the horrible cupcake. He said that they do not use display cases as they seem to be "tacky and tipical." Apparently a fresh product is tacky and tipical as well. I expected more from a place that charges nearly $3 for an average sized cupcake. The owner says in his email, "As our website expresses, we do home-style from scratch baking. It is not high-end." I think anyone would agree that their pricepoint would command a product of higher quality. Also, I mentioned in my email that I am a "food snob." Perhaps this was a poor choice of words as I can enjoy a meal from Wendy's just as much as the next guy...but i do appreciate food. This, however really angered the owner of Dozen. He said in his email, "And coining yourself a food snob only attempts to make you seem more knowledgeable than I am. I don't know anyone who would take such claims serious. It also suggests that my customers don't have a palate as refined as yours." In my initial email, I even apologized for complaining, but the owner still said that my "email approach seemed rude and aggressive." Wow! I was just telling him that I was not satisfied and offered a few suggestions. Needless to say, I won't return. A simple, "I'm sorry you had a bad experience at our store" would have make a world of difference and certaintly would have enabled me to re-try their products.
Posted by: rs | Feb 19, 2008 4:25:02 PM
I have to give my vote to CoCo's for sure. The atmosphere is much more Pittsburgh than Dozen, which feels like a smarmy NYC hipster sweets joint. I also dislike dry cupcakes, which Dozen seems to be pretty good at turning out. That said, both places are proof that Pittsburgh can do it all....n'at.
Posted by: Blake | Feb 18, 2008 7:49:24 PM
a city defined by the presence of a cupcake cafe? what's with the inferiority complex? pittsburgh boasts quality food, local independent restaurants&bakeries and a population that appreciates and supports them. best yet, regular working class folks can afford to eat out. for all ya haters out there, da burg' is on the map and foodies across the country are payin' respect. my response over the last decade for a sweet tooth: try jean marc chatellier or prantls bakery. i tried dozen cupcakes at handmade arcade. honestly, they are ok... dry, but ok. i wouldn't be happy about paying almost $3 a pop, especially since the packs at whole foods are just as good and half the price. its the new "thing" and you're all playing into that. play on. but please let's not define our city by it. i'm from here... and i've traveled around... i don't appreciate anyone telling me what we need to be a "real" city. if chicago, seattle and the like are that hip, go back and be surrounded by others just as "cool" as you. pittsburgh is what it is. we may be a little behind on trends but we're humble. and, in the end, trends pass. where is the substance? and yes, i tried coco's cupcakes, too. word? delicious. it helps having a chef from cafe on the frick. being from here, i can more appreciate coco's approach--as un-pretentious as we native burgers are.
Posted by: pgh pride for more than the stillers | Mar 11, 2007 12:57:34 PM
What I hate are that they are jaggoffs from chicago telling us what we should have to be a ‘city’.
We should instead support Coco’s, which is a REAL Pittsburgh business and actually, MUCH BETTER cupcakes (and the first to open). They are the ones that should be written about!
I’d much rather read/support Pittsburghers then these outta town rejects that come speculating on our good city.
Posted by: tyler | Mar 10, 2007 9:00:42 PM
Dozen has, as far as I'm concerned, provided the best cake in Sq Hill. They can sell it anyway they want, it's good ingredients and fresh.
Posted by: zp | Feb 2, 2007 11:17:38 AM
Hey, here's some more dish for ya!
There is a cupcake cafe opening in Shadyside on Ellsworth called CoCo's.
I've gone past it several times and it looks adorable! I hear it's going to be a dessert bar as well.
Posted by: brooke | Dec 5, 2006 11:35:38 AM
Oh they've ventured even further into niche weirdness than you think.
Posted by: Michael Vivar | Nov 14, 2006 12:07:10 PM
A cafe that sells nothing but cupcakes?What next,a joint for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?Oh,wait...
Posted by: Drew | Nov 14, 2006 2:36:33 AM
What will employees' parents bring to the store on birthdays?
Posted by: Michael Vivar | Nov 13, 2006 2:50:35 PM
Recent Comments