New City, New Cupcake

Sometimes one of the wonderful things about living in New York is leaving New York for a weekend. It’s nice to a have break from the intensity of the lights, energy, and noise. No matter how “big” other cities might be, New York still dominates in adrenaline. And despite its positive qualities, it can run you dry. I needed a break.

So in full patriotic force, I made my way down to our nation’s capital to relax and enjoy the company of some new faces. Faces that know I love sweets, and when a guest such as myself arrives, allow themselves to dabble in all of their city’s goodies.

I tend to criticize and stay away from over-done trends, the cupcake being one of them. On most occasions I do, but today, I’m giving compliments.

After a late lunch a group of friends and I ventured to the popular Georgetown Cupcake in the heart of the Georgetown section in Washington, DC. The small store front has the hype of Magnolia but focuses only on cupcakes. And good ones at that. Favorites included red velvet, chocolate cubed (chocolate cake, chocolate icing, and chocolate nibs), gingerbread, coconut, and chocolate mocha.

It’s easy to see why something like this is popular. Small shop, low overhead, small portions that keep people buying more, and lines around the block. Unlike their Magnolia counterparts, these cupcakes are lighter and less dense. The icing is a light whipped cream vanilla icing rather than a heavy buttercream.

A conversation that my family and I have had on more than one occasion questions the notion of HOW bakeries stay in business AND produce products on a daily basis using the best ingredients. Without using artificial flavors the shelf life of a baked good is a day. Half a day if you want to get really picky. And most bakeries I’ve found accumulate day(s) old goods at the same price as fresh. It’s gross. Ever seen a cake half sliced sitting on a bakery table? Yep. But I see how hard it must be to maintain a balance. Where does it give?

Georgetown Cupcake solves this problem. With concentrating on one thing they can minimize their overall cost of production. It’s the simple Adam Smith principle of … (well you get where I’m going.) And they keep them fresh. The cupcakes are continuously made throughout the day, and nothing sits more than an hour. The store is small. Employment is limited. And they produce a good product.

What’s different about the Georgetown/DC area as opposed to New York, is that there was a cupcake niche that needed to be filled. Another shop could not open and maintain the same level of success, Gtown Cupcake currently monopolizes.

Its always interesting to analyze the business side of food. It intrigues and inspires me. Maybe someday you’ll see a bakery with my name on it … then again, I can guarantee with 99% certainty it won’t have “cupcake” in the title. Come on now, I’m not that big of a sell-out.