Maple Groveans with a sweet tooth are about to luck out. Abby Jiminez of Nadia Cakes and the reigning champion of The Food Network’s Cupcake Wars will be bringing her award-winning cupcakes from Los Angeles to a new shop at The Fountains at Arbor Lakes.
Jiminez wrangled the title of Cupcake Wars Champion after receiving accolades for her New York cheesecake cupcakes from the notorious judge Florian Bellanger. Cheesecake cupcakes in the past have consistently failed on the show.
“[Winning the competition] was so emotional. I’m sure they had to cut out all the tapes of me crying after I won,” Jiminez says. “It was especially emotional because I did come from such humble beginnings and I worked hard, so to gain that acknowledgement was a huge deal.”
Jiminez, who is a self-taught baker, started Nadia Cakes from her home kitchen in Los Angeles in 2007. She and her husband, Carlos (Nadia Cakes’ CFO), saw potential in her work and the business simply expanded from there.
The Jiminezs were looking to expand their business outside of the competitive Los Angeles market and spent the summer of 2011 visiting 23 states before selecting Maple Grove for their new shop location. Maple Grove beat out places on the Jiminezs’ list like New York, Washington D.C. and Maryland.
“We just fell in love with Maple Grove!,” Abby says. “Everyone was friendly, the area was gorgeous and we just couldn’t wait to get back there.”
The Jiminezs currently reside in Champlin Park. Friends had told them for years that Minnesota was a great place to live and it was important to Abby and Carlos that their new home would be a great place to raise their three daughters.
“Our neighbors are just wonderful, we love it. That Minnesota-nice thing you guys got going on is a real thing,” Abby said.
The new Nadia Cakes shop will be all about the cupcakes, and with 135 rotating flavors, Maple Grove’s taste buds will never get bored.
Cupcakes will cost $2.95 for signature cupcakes, $3.25 for filled cupcakes, and $3.50 for summer ice cream cupcakes. Package deals will be available as well at six cupcakes for $15 and 12 cupcakes for $28.
Abby, who is also known for her whimsical cakes that have been featured on TLC, says that fondant cakes will be available on a walk-in basis and will be available at any time.
Custom-order cakes start at $3 per slice, and last-minute pick-up cakes will run $35-$65.
On the heels of her success, she will be making a television appearance on the Valentine’s Day show of Twin Cities Live.
Nadia Cakes will be located across from The Hair District at The Fountains at Arbor Lakes. Abby says that she expects the grand opening to take place in July since the project is going a little slower than expected.
