JavaCupcake Note: This is the 15th post in the “Ask the Baker” series featuring interviews with bakers and bakery owners! Click here to see the complete list of bakers being interviewed. Check back on Tuesdays for a new interview!
Please introduce yourself. Tell us a little bit about what you do in the cupcake world and how/when you got started.
My name is Lev Ekster and I am the founder of CupcakeStop. We started as NYC’s First Mobile Cupcake Shoppe. Our website is CupcakeStop.com and in the last year, we have expanded to two cupcake trucks, a shoppe inside the new Limelight Marketplace on 6th Avenue and 20th Street in NYC, a bakery in Montclair NJ and nationwide shipping! You can also find our Fan Page on Facebook and we’re also on Twitter, @Cupcakestop.
Note: From the Cakestop.com Facebook page… CupcakeStop (and Lev on the right) works with GladtoGive, Cookies for Kid’s Cancer and Joan Cusack to benefit Pediatric Cancer
Bakery Start-Up Questions
What was the biggest challenge in starting your bakery/baking business?
The biggest challenge was mastering how to sell cupcakes from a mobile vending truck. Being the first cupcake truck in NYC, I didn’t have much guidance.
Any business tips you can share that has made your bakery a success?
Provide your customers a superior product with exceptional customer service.
How much time did you spend planning before you decided to take the steps to make your bakery a reality?
Approximately 6 months of planning went into launching CupcakeStop.
How much time does it take to run your business? More or less than you anticipated?
Much more, I am currently working 27 hours a day, 8 days a week!!
Recipe/Ingredients & Baking Questions
How many times do you have to “re-do” a recipe before you get it right?
We redo, tweak and improve recipes all the time. At CupcakeStop, we are never satisfied and feel there is always room for improvement.
How much is made from scratch and how much is purchased pre-made?
At CupcakeStop, everything is entirely Baked From Scratch.
Inspiration Questions
Did you always have a passion for baking?
I always had a passion for desserts and was always a fan of cupcakes. I just wanted to start a business that would offer a better product.
What inspires you the most? Love of cupcakes or love of making things people enjoy?
I am inspired by my desire to make CupcakeStop into the undeniable best cupcake bakery in the world.
Where do you get new ideas for new cupcake and icing flavors?
We brainstorm in house but also take on ideas from our customers.
Fun Questions
What’s your favorite part of cupcakes?
The room for creativity and ingenuity.
How can you be around all that yummy and not eat it all up?
I can’t…
Do you ever get tired of the site or smell of cupcakes?
Not even close!
Can I live in your kitchen and be your personal taste tester?
Absolutely, we’ll get a futon immediately.
All photos courtesy of the CupcakeStop’s Facebook page! THANK YOU!!
Do you bake inside the truck or at a different location?