Full disclosure: I couldn’t even wait to leave the parking lot of The Fountains at Arbor Lakes before sampling one of the cupcakes Abby Jimenez, owner of Nadia Cakes and past winner of Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, brought to our interview. While ostensibly “checking my notes” in my car after we had said goodbye, I was actually enjoying a delicious strawberry cupcake, pink and sweet, that was like a delicate burst of summer.
Abby also gave me two of her award-winning cheesecake cupcakes—incredible—which I brought home (I do have some restraint) to share with my 17-year-old daughter, who is a Cupcake Wars fan. In a spirit of generosity, I also let my daughter have the fourth cupcake, a rich red velvet. I actually regret my selflessness.
Nadia Cakes is currently constructing its second United States location in Maple Grove (the original is in Palmdale, California) and the buzz is already building. In the June issue of Maple Grove Magazine (available June 1 at maplegrovemag.com), meet Abby Jimenez, learn more about Nadia Cakes and get some behind-the-scenes Cupcake Wars dish. Find out why Abby and Carlos Jimenez opted to move across the country and decide if you can (or should) be the new uber-customer for the Maple Grove store (in Palmdale, there is a Nadia Cakes customer who buys a dozen cupcakes every three days).
As for me, I’ll be ordering one red velvet cupcake during my next visit. For myself.
