Photo courtesy of Butter Lane Cupcakes.

How did it all start? Whose idea was it?
Two friends (Pam Nelson and Linda Lea) and I had been talking for some time about starting a business together, but we were all so busy in our jobs that there was no way we could realistically do it. Only when Pam left her job at Citibank did that really give us the opportunity to start something. And we had the audacity to think we could make a better cupcake.

The name “Butter Lane” sounds so delicious. How did you come up with it?
The shop is named for a road on the east end of Long Island called Butter Lane.

What can you tell us about the people behind “Butter Lane” cupcakes?
Pam Nelson worked on Wall Street for years at Citibank. She’s now running Butter Lane. Linda Lea is a TV producer. She was the executive producer of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and is currently the executive producer of Chopped on Food Network. I’ve been in magazines for many years. I was an executive editor at In Style, executive managing editor at Glamour and am currently the managing editor of Food Network Magazine.

Please tell us more about the delicious cupcakes you make.
We have three different cupcake flavors—chocolate, vanilla and banana. And we have about 30 different icing flavors, some of which rotate seasonally. You can choose your cupcake and icing flavor and we happily ice to order.

What’s your latest creation?
Cake pops!

Butter Lane Cake Pops

What makes your cupcakes different?
We spent more than 400 hours in the test kitchen the summer of 2008 working on our recipes. We were determined to come up with recipes that needed less sugar. We use plenty of sugar and the cupcakes are sweet, but they don’t make your teeth hurt. We also feel very strongly that high quality ingredients are the answer. We use real vanilla beans, Callebaut chocolate and fresh fruit and we do not use food coloring. These things cost a lot more, but we’re a little bit snobby about ingredients so to us it’s totally worth it.

How would you describe “Butter Lane” cupcakes in three words?
Quality ingredients rule.

Photo courtesy of Butter Lane Cupcakes

What are you up to these days? Any plans for the future?
We just opened our second location. It’s in Park Slope (240 Seventh Ave between 4th and 5th Streets)—we opened a little less than two weeks ago. We’re very excited! We have online ordering for delivery in Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn, but now we’re focusing on shipping. Soon people will be able to order online to get cupcakes and cake pops shipped anywhere in the continental US.

Anything else you’d like to share with us?
We teach cupcake baking classes in our classroom next door to the East Village shop. We’re also starting to teach at Park Slope. You can get all the info here: http://butterlane.com/classes.html

We’re now selling Blue Bell ice cream (a Texas favorite that’s hard to find in NYC) in both the East Village and Park Slope locations.

Where can we find you?

Butter Lane
123 East 7th Street
Between First Avenue and Avenue A
New York, NY 10009
212-677-2880

Butter Lane Park Slope
240 Seventh Avenue
Between 4th and 5th Streets
Phone number tk

www.butterlane.com
www.facebook.com/butterlane
@butterlane

YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ButterLaneCupcakes

What gave you the idea to create little scented foodie jewelry?

“When my second daughter was about five years old I bought her a dollhouse kit to put together and surprise her for Christmas.  It was 4 feet high and took me from August to December to assemble.  I decided to make her some play food to put on the dolls’ dining room table.  These consisted of a plate of cookies, a bowl full of multicolored ’round things’, and a cake that I had made out of a soda bottle cap covered in polymer clay.  I made a chocolate cake covered with tiny cut up toothpick bits for nuts.  She loved it so much that she asked if she could wear it around her neck.  I set out trying to figure out how to string it up for her.  She wore it every single day and would always tell me how much she loved it and that it should smell like chocolate because it looks so real.  *light bulb*.  The rest is mini food history.”

What does your family think about your creations?

“Do I have to tell my husband?  lol… My kids have been great about coming up with ideas.  I hear a lot of “hey mommy, you should make….” and “can you make me….”  Sometimes when I have made them something they particularly liked for dinner my son will come to me afterwards and tell me that I should make that item into a charm.  I know my little ones really love them.  Many times bulk pieces go missing and I have caught Barbie and her friends hanging out in the dream house having a cupcake party.”
What have you found to be the most popular item in your shop?

“That would be cupcake charms, hands down.”

Do you have any other “food hobbies”?

“I am ALL about food.  I sleep, breathe and, well…eat food.  I run a full-time cupcake and candy shop online as well as local wholesale.  I used to do cake decorating but unfortunately it is way too time consuming for me right now.  I hope to get back to it in the future.  It is one of my all-time favorite things to do.  I would love to be a pastry chef when I grow up.”

What was your favorite piece to make?

“I honestly love making every piece.  I especially love custom orders.  I have had many creative requests in the past (apple pie with cheese, pack of bubble gum, a Ramen soup ring, fried funnel cakes with hot fudge and powdered sugar to name a few).  I never ever tire of it.”

When it’s time for you to indulge yourself, what do you turn to? A favorite dessert?

“I am surrounded all day by sweet treats, so my indulgence is a nice big bowl of Kashi Island Vanilla cereal (only because I’m a rebel).  During the holidays, I do treat my family to chocolate covered cheesecake.  That is number 1-5 on my favorite desserts list.  :)”

From mac & cheese to peanut butter and jelly, from banana cake to Belgian waffles, if you don’t see what you’d like, you can always request a custom item from Danielle! Big thanks to Danielle for allowing me to interview her and for being such an awesome junk food jewelry chef!!

Photos property of Danielle @ DanzDZynes

Design your own cereal mix! photo courtesy of meandgoji.com

Could you please tell us a little bit more about [me]&goji? How did it all start?

[me] & goji is the dream of three friends – adam, alexander, and carl – combining our passions for healthy food, unique products and good design: cereal couture, if you will. adam and I met our freshman year while playing soccer at Northwestern University, sharing many 6 a.m. dorm-crapeteria breakfasts before practice or class, and being asked to perform at a very high level without the proper fuel. This created our need.

After college I went to Los Angeles to run a tech start-up in Los Angeles while Adam took a job at Def Jam music group in NYC. Carl – who hails from Stockholm, Sweden – answered Adam’s craigslist post for a sublet while in the States for a consulting internship. Along with his slick blond hair and analytical mind, carl brings a dazzling knowledge of muesli, an extremely healthy, uncooked form of cereal popular in Europe. I decided to visit one weekend and after a spirited karaoke performance of “Sussudio” by phil Collins, we realize we have a talented group on our hands.

We dabbled with many business ideas (an american sake?), eventually deciding to address the need Adam and I discovered in college. Our solution results in America’s favorite breakfast food, cereal, revamped with the nutritional focus of muesli and the flexibility of customization.

On your interactive website, customers design their own mix. Which are the most popular ingredients? Is there a tendency like…let’s say, 2009 ingredients?

When we first started our company were surprised at how many different ingredients people were willing to try. People are really taking advantage of adding ingredients conventional cereals don’t offer. To alleviate the concerns people have about trying new ingredients, we adopted the return policy of if you do not like your mix for any reason, we will happily send you a new one, and even cover those pesky shipping charges! Some of our current top sellers are goji berries, bananas, coconut (my favorite), flax and chia seeds.

I love your “out of the box” packaging! Is there any benefit of having your product in a cilinder instead of a standard rectangular box? Or is it just for esthetic purposes?

The decision to use our Cereal Capsules was a very conscious choice. The following points were the rationale behind the choice:
Big value: packed with 50% more cereal (21oz, 600g) than the average box.
Freshness is locked in with an easy, pull-off foil seal. once opened, a tightly fitting cap keeps cereal fresher, longer.
Convenient and portable: fits in standard cupboards (if there is already one on your countertop) and makes taking cereal on-the-go easier than ever.
Art meets science: both functional and attractive, the cylindrical design makes pouring easy and mess-free. no more difficult-to-open bags or flimsy boxes. Easily recyclable.
Influenced by modern-minimalist interior design, we aimed to create an aesthetically appealing package that sits on your countertop and not in the cupboard.

We have featured [me]&goji on our sister site 1HappyCorner.com and have recommended it as a great gift because it is healthy and every cereal capsule can be personalized. Is there a message or customized title (that you can remember of) that makes you smile each and every time you think of it?

We absolutely love looking at the orders that come in every day to see what clever names people come up with on their Cereal Capsules. When we first started out, the messages were from friends and family, so notes like “This better be good Alexander” or “Wash your hands Adam!” would appear.

We now list our top 5 names each week on our blog: http://sincerealyyours.wordpress.com. My favorite to date has been “added the gojis so the monks in silk gloves can hire repair workers for their stone monasteries” simply because I haven’t the slightest idea of what this person is talking about.

What does the future hold for [me] & goji?

As we approach our 1 year anniversary in September, we couldn’t be happier with all the support and positive feedback from our friends, family and customers. We hope to continue growing our company while upholding our high standard of customer service, and establishing [me] & goji as the go to cereal company. We firmly believe that healthy and natural doesn’t have to mean boring and tasteless.

Thank you very much for the interview!

To read more about [me]&goji or to order, please visit their website at www.meandgoji.com

I am a mom of 2 boys and a girl. Ever since my children began school my time stretched out into long boredom filled hours and I was desperate to find something to occupy myself.

I have always harbored a love for baking. It was not until a few years ago a function having crept up at my youngest sons school ,that I produced a batch of cupcakes like no other I have ever made. Moving away from the traditional look of slapping the icing on the cupcake ,my self-created pastel swirls were a big hit. The teachers ,children and parents were very impressed. No one seemed to see such unique swirls before.

My sister-in-law introduced me to Flickr where I discovered a group of talented ladies who were kind enough to encourage and answer my questions.

My ignorance turning to curiosity, I began experimenting on my own. The pictures you see today are the consequences of my playing around with the little knowledge and supplies I have.

Your cakes and cupcakes look absolutely amazing! So simple but so very stylish at the same time. What inspires you?

The possibility of a successful outcome drives me to drastic lengths. The vision of the result begs for me to work harder. What I find most exciting is the challenge of an idea I dreamed up into a reality. I draw inspiration from beauty around me… most times I have no idea what to create and playing with the fondant the Almighty inspires an idea.

Seeing the reaction of family and friends and the joy on their faces inspires me to create these little works of art.(All praises to the Almighty)

What’s your favorite ingredient and why?

I use the finest ingredients available here in South Africa, striving for quality and enhancing flavour and will not compromise…callebaut or lindt chocolate,Nomu Madagascan vanilla extract , Nomu cocoa. The ingredients are the foundation of a good bake.

Contact. How can our readers get in touch with you? Can they order online?

Living in the South African countryside with the nearest city being a 45 min drive my situation does not allow me to create a thriving business. At the present it has to remain more as a hobby.

#########

All the pictures in this post belong to Cupcakes Land and should not be re-posted without prior consent. To see more of Shamima’s gorgeous creations, please visit her Collection.

100CafeStreet.com: You’ve been an inspiration to many, many people and your story touched many hearts. Could you please tell us what motivates you so much?

Mrs. Eileen Spitalny: I like people’s “happy brownies” stories. Our brownie gifts open doors for businesses that send Fairytale Brownies. On the personal side, our brownies connect families living a distance away. The brownie gifts even become a part of holiday traditions.

100CafeStreet.com: If you were to start your business all over again, what would you do differently?

Mrs. Eileen Spitalny: Ask the bank for more money! We didn’t receive a paycheck for 3 years and it would have been nice to pay ourselves from the start instead of cashing in our 401Ks.

100CafeStreet.com: What do you think the future holds for Fairytale Brownies?

Mrs. Eileen Spitalny: In addition to purchasing our products online, through our 800 number and at our bakery, we are very excited about venturing into wholesale. Our brownie gifts are available at every AJ’s Fine Foods grocery store in Arizona and several specialty shops and wineries throughout the state. We hope to be the brownie favorite at many gourmet retailers in the western region soon.

#####

We have written about Fairytale Brownies before. Right now, we even have a Brownies Giveaway going on till April 11th -  courtesy of Fairytale Brownies. For a chance to win the Easter Bunny Love gift, submit your entry!

Or, to make a purchase, please visit Brownies.com.

A big Thank You to Mrs. Eileen Spitalny and Mr. David Kravetz, the co-founders of Fairytale Brownies, for making our lives a little sweeter! And for sponsoring our delicious Giveaway! Here is my favorite video on Fairytale Brownies: