Robicelli's

Googa Mooga is ALL SOLD OUT. Lobster Roll Rumble is ALL SOLD OUT. But there are still a few tickets available for next weeks Tasting Brooklyn,  AND we’re going to have another big event announcement soon!  

And it may involve this picture. 30% chance it’s Matt dressed as Cher.

In the meantime you can still only find us through the shops we wholesale to, private delivery in NYC (including event catering!), or via mailorder- Matt and I have decided not to do any weekly markets this year so we can actually see our kids on their days off.  The entity and popular internet search result known as the DeKalb Market was demolished last year- and by demolished, I don’t mean “relocated” or “not open for the season just yet” or “on hiatus”.  I mean big construction machines were brought onsite, everything was smashed to bits, the land was ripped up and a huge skyscraper with a Century 21 and perhaps a Jamba Juice is being put in it’s place. So PLEASE stop telling us “you haven’t been down there but have been meaning to go”, or worse yet calling us to tell us that you’re at the address but you can’t find anything but a giant hole in the ground.  It’s impossible to delete DeKalb from the recesses of the internet, and Matt and I feel horrible with every single phone call we answer that involves a bunch of lost tourists or people who have traveled for over an hour on the subway just to find a big, dark hole in the ground. It’s gone forever. Don’t go there.

Will we ever have a storefront again? I can’t even think about that question right now because the only thing I can think of is blowing up buildings so they can be replaced by Jamba Juices. And what could possibly be better than blowing sh*t up?  Why, blowing sh*t up to the strains of a smooth EZ listening instrumental featuring ample amount of pan flute solos, that’s what!

I’m not going to say that I’m SURE videos like this are the reason the internet was invented, but I will say that it’s highly probable. It’s still between that and this:

I really need a playlist of YouTube soundtracks. Someone get on that.

Now to today’s flavors!

Caramel Macchiato: Chocolate espresso cake, caramel macchiato buttercream, chocolate covered espresso beans, ganache & caramel drizzle

Tres Leches: Three milk soaked brown butter cake, dulce de leche buttercream, caramel shards

Lime in de Coconut: Coconut lime cake, vanilla buttercream, roasted coconut and lime zest

The Duckie: Peanut cake, peanut butter pudding, marshmallow buttercream, roasted peanuts

Ok yes, another Wednesday without a guest blog post. Pretty much the second I said I’d do it, then all of a sudden I had a billion things to talk about. That’s always how it goes, isn’t it. 

Today is the very last day for Vendy Award nominations, and for the first time ever there’s a brand new “Market Vendor” category! Exciting stuff, huh? Now there’s only a few hours left to get your choices in, and here’s what I’m asking:

DO NOT NOMINATE US FOR THE VENDY AWARDS.

No, this is not reverse psychology or some other nefarious ploy. I know some of you already have put our names in, and we’re appreciative- we really are - but seriously, do not nominate us. Even though DeKalb Market has the word “market” in it’s name, we’ve got four walls and appliances and electricity. It was a creative use of real estate for sure, but it’s really not a “market” as much as it is a mall. 

As a 4th generation New Yorker I’ve been eating from street carts all my life, and have been watching the Vendy’s since it’s inception. It’s a way for us to celebrate the little guy, and though we’re personally still a small business, we’ve been fortunate enough to have so much amazing press (and we’re insanely grateful for every iota it) that I don’t feel right being in the mix.  I still nominate people like the Halal Cart on 86th and 5th in Bay Ridge who makes street meat so good I think about it at least once a day, or my favorite taco lady on 60th and 4th in Sunset Park whose praises I constantly sing even though I’m 90% positive she hates me for absolutely no good reason. Maybe its because she speaks no English and that one time I tried to hug her came off less like affection and more like “batcrap crazy”.  Alright, now that I’m thinking about it maybe that is a good reason. Whatever- once you taste her hotsauces you’ll want to hug her, too.

But let’s say you disagree with my point about DeKalb, and point out the fact that no matter how homey we’ve made our shops, we’re still working out of shipping containers on Flatbush Avenue. Then I’d like you to nominate the following:

Our friends at Nile Valley Eco Juice and Salad Bar! Owners Brian and Mollica are West Indian immigrants living in Mill Basin, and two of the hardest working people I’ve ever met.  They’ve got a six year old daughter and a brand new baby, and yet they are working 7 days a week, early morning to late at night, building their business (and often with the baby strapped to one of their chests).  

I’ve been in the food business 10 years now, and I’ve met very few people who have the level of commitment to their business as they do.  Which should be evident as I’m enthusiastically raving about a restaurant that is vegan, raw, and gluten free. Seriously, I’ve been a sponsor at Meatopia for three years, I had White Castle cater my wedding, and I invented the Chicken n’Waffles cupcake for crying out loud.  But vegan or not, they make some of the best Carribean patties I’ve ever had, and they deserve a nomination based on that.

And how about throwing another nomination over to a legend?

That handsome man in the center is Cuzin Todd Jones, proprietor of Brooklyn legend Cuzin’s Duzin (mini doughnuts!).  Cuzin had his first shop at the famous Albee Square Mall, which got torn down to make room for City Point. Then City Point got stalled and DeKalb Market opened in it’s place, introducing a whole new demographic to Todd’s ridiculously delicious donuts.  And now DeKalb is getting torn down, which is making me wonder if Todd is bad luck.

Todd also has a heart bigger than the sun, and is constantly giving back to the community through fundraisers and charity events. He’s a role model as both an entrepreneur and as a human being. And his donuts are so good that I’m sure most of the people who work at Metrotech will be petitioning City Point to open Cuzin’s Duzin version 3.0 in their fancy schmancy new building, because Downtown Brooklyn really wouldn’t be as wonderful without him in it.

If you feel like you don’t know these guys well enough to nominate them, well, maybe you should make a trip to DeKalb today to check them out.  And swing by our shop while you’re at it- we’re doing 2 for $5 on cupcakes today, AND we’ve got a brand spanking new flavor! AND it’s delicious! Because, you know, why would we make anything that was less than delicious? “Buy these cupcakes- they’re perfectly adequate”. That’s just dumb!

Clockwise from front: Estelle Getty, Horchata, Kahlua Banana, North Fork

NEW! Kahlua Banana: Kahlua chocolate banana cake, Kahlua coffee buttercream, Kahlua ganache

Horchata: Horchata cake, pudding and buttercream, cinnamon sugar rice krispies

North Fork: Chocolate cabernet cake, blackberry cabernet buttercream, wine simmered blackberries

Estelle Getty: Amaretto cake, cheesecake buttercream, crushed amaretti cookies

Side Note: Happy birthday in heaven Ms. Getty! We love you!

This Saturday at DeKalb, daytime dance party with British house legend STEVE LAWLER. 3-9pm.

DeKalb will still be open from 10am-3pm.  After that, you need a ticket. And it will sell out, so act quickly.

All you club kids are lucky, too, because we’re bringing back the Chicken n’Waffle cupcakes this weekend just for you. Plus another brand new ice cream sandwich flavor and other razzmatazz. 

See you there.

From DeKalbMarket.com:

“On Saturday we are celebrating National Robot Week with Robot Building Workshops hosted byBrooklyn Robot Foundry starting at 11:30. NYU’s Polytechnic Institute  will also be giving demonstrations of LEGO robots from 10 – 2pm, not to mention you can spend the rest of the day making robot jewelry!

In the spirit of robots and their tin faced (creepy?) cuteness we’re bringing you a robotic DJ set from 12 – 6pm by DJ Michna (Ghostly International) and we encourage you to give us your best robot dance without embarrassing yourself.

And then, wait for it….Mimosa Mornings are back! Hang out at our beer and food garden and tap our $1 mimosa special til 2pm. Remember, shopping is always more fun with a glass in your hand.

On Sunday we’re treating all you taxpayers with Tax Day. We’ll swap $3 beer & wine with a glance at your 1040. All. Day. Long. DJ Mikey Palm$ will play some Money Magic tunes, and we’re hoping bills will come flowing out the speakers.”

Well there ya go. And we’ll be bringing to the party:

CHICKEN N’WAFFLES CUPCAKES! We had to make it up to you all after we sold out in record time last weekend. This will be the last weekend that we’ll be making them for a few weeks, so make sure you get down there!

Also on tap: Romeo y Juliette, Matzoh Toffee, Tiramisu, Coconut Custard, Blueberry Blintz, Car Bomb, Bananas Foster, The Pickett, Chocolate Sea Salt, Plain Old Vanilla, Classic Brownies, the Fany, Vanilla Whoopie Pies, Nutella Whoopies, and Elvis is returning to the building.

Open 10am both days. See you there.

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooow.

In case you weren’t there, about 4 billion people came to DeKalb Market this weekend. We sold out of Chicken n’Waffles cupcakes by 1:30 on Saturday, and out of just about everything else by 5. We restocked the best we could for Sunday, and sold out of everything by 4. 

We were expecting a good turnout- but we weren’t expecting that. I mean, we had lines out the door and going down the block at points. Bananas! Fortunately, since we’ve already baked the cupcakes the line moved really really fast, but we still felt awful telling people stuff was “sold out”, especially when they had traveled all the way down to Brooklyn to try it. And this is why…..

WE’RE GOING TO MAKE THE CHICKEN N’WAFFLES CUPCAKES AGAIN NEXT WEEKEND, TOO!!!

We never do this one two weeks in a row because as a bakery, we don’t own a fryolator and do all the chicken on a stove in a very small pot. And also because Matt comes home smelling like the dumpster of a KFC and I have to put his clothes out in the hallway, and then the neighbors complain. But no matter how long it takes us or how stinky my husband gets, we will take it to the wire next Friday night and stay til the wee hours of the morning making our famous Chicken n’Waffle cupcakes for all the good little boys and girls of NYC!

Now for the bad news- since we ran out of inventory, we’re closing today and Tuesday. We’re closed Mondays anyway for the first few weeks, but we need to take care of same back-end stuff to amp up production of all our products in the kitchen and train some of the new hands we’re taking on.

For all of you who are confused (and I’ve learned there is a lot of you), I’m going to put some more stuff in bold so you know it’s important to read. Imagine me cupping your hands into mine, staring deeply into your eyes, and saying this with so much passion and conviction that you actually start to get a little uncomfortable and you think “Is she trying to make a move on me? I mean, she’s great and all, but she’s married and this is really weird”. I promise I’m not making a move. Now you can let all that go and concentrate on what I’m saying:

DeKalb Market is open 7 DAYS A WEEK. This is not a weekend market. This is not the Flea, or Smorgasburg, or Hester Street, or the West Williamsburg Underwater Funtime Jamboree or any of that. DeKalb isn’t even really just a “market”. It’s our version of a town square- where people all over can come and eat, drink, shop, listen to music, meet their neighbors, take a workshop, engage in a project, play some games, and, at least this past weekend, pet a llama. 

And our container is not our “stall”, it’s our semi-permanent flagship store. I say semi-permanent because in a year or so, DeKalb will be disassembled to make way for the eventual tallest skyscraper in Brooklyn, housing luxury apartments and retail (that has always been the plan- btw. We were built as a placeholder).

But that is the (near) future. Right NOW, some of the most creative minds in food, music, art, design, and events are coming together to create Brooklyn’s own version of Brigadoon (and if you were there this weekend, you’d know that it’s just as magical). And once the developers are finally ready, we will all move on and make room for progress.

So, you know, GO. Go often. Because when something this awesome is ephemeral, you really can’t sit home on your couch and take it for granted.

And go support these businesses around town who have these cupcakes in store today! They’ll whet your tastebuds for the upcoming weekend!

Clockwise from front: Lime in de Coconut, The Duckie, Caramel Macchiato, Tres Leches

Lime in de Coconut: Coconut lime cake & buttercream, roasted coconut, lime zest

The Duckie: Peanut cake, peanut butter buttercream, marshmallow buttercream, roasted peanuts

Caramel Macchiato: Mocha cake, caramel macchiato buttercream, salted caramel & ganache drizzles

Tres Leches: Three milk soaked brown butter cake, dulce de leche buttercream, caramel shards

__________________________________________

Cupcakes Available At:

Crespella: 7th Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Cake Shop: 152 Ludlow St, Lower East Side

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Whoopie Pies Available At

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Brownies

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Matt went away for the weekend, the kids were at my moms, and I must have cried like four times. Seriously. I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me. Last week was the 7th anniversary of the day we met, and I went 12 hours without him before I got really sad and started listening to the Air Supply station on Pandora. Is that normal after 7 years? Or am I just pathetic?

I did get my mind off of him for a few hours by heading down to DeKalb Market tocheck out how some of the construction is coming along (answer: lovely!), talk to the new management team about all the improvements still to come, meet the new beer & wine bar manager, and hear more about upcoming events like:

-Sunday afternoon dance parties

-the monthly roller derby hosted by Down & Derby

-lobster boils with our good friends (and Robicelli’s retail partner) Red Hook Lobster Pound

-live bands and DJs on the brand spanking new stage 

-bike-in movies

-SQUARE DANCES (yes! I have always wanted to try this! And considering that everyone else participating will probably have spent the day drinking beer in the hot summer sun, there’s at least a small chance that I won’t be the most spastic!)

-and finally, updates on the super ultra crazy big opening weekend featuring an Easter Egg hunt, plant market, cooking & gardening classes, bands, DJs, special Easter cupcakes & Passover brownies, and of course…….

Photo courtesy of Blondie & Brownie

CHICKEN N’WAFFLES!!!!!

Our most famous creation, our #1 best seller, our most requested by a mile, and also one of our rarest.  This is only released a few times every year, so if you’ve been dying to try it, you need to get there opening weekend. You’ve been told, so put it on your calendars.

Super excited yet? Can’t wait two weeks for us to open? Maybe you should go grab a couple of these to hold you over.

Clockwise from front: Boston Cream, CPB, Lemon Blueberry Ricotta, Caramel Macchiato

Boston Cream: Vanilla cake, vanilla custard buttercream, chocolate fudge

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta: Lemon cake, ricotta buttercream, wild Maine blueberries, lemon zest

CPB: Chocolate cake, peanut butter buttercream, roasted peanuts, ganache

Caramel Macchiato: Chocolate espresso cake, caramel mocha buttercream, salted caramel, ganache, crushed chocolate covered espresso beans

__________________________________________

Cupcakes Available At:

Aloha Grinds: 77th & 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

Crespella: 7th Avenue off 9th Street, Park Slope

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Cake Shop: 152 Ludlow St, Lower East Side

Battery Place Markets: 77 Battery Place, Battery Park City AND 240 Murray Street, Goldman Sachs Building, Financial District

Joe: Columbia University: West 120th Street btwn Broadway & Amsterdam. Morningside Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Whoopie Pies Available At

Red Hook Lobster Pound: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook

Tazza: Clark Street off Henry AND Henry Street off Atlantic, Brooklyn Heights

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

___________________________________

Brownies

Oaxaca Tacos: 250 4th Avenue- Park Slope Brooklyn; 251 Smith Street Cobble Hill Brooklyn; 16 Extra Place, LES Manhattan

Queen City Cupcakes: 62 West Main Street, Patchogue, Long Island

Announcement #1:  If you are in need of some of our super special once a year “L’Shanah Tovah” cupcakes (apple cake with honey vanilla buttercream, roasted apple and honey drizzle), we need your order ASAP- like by 3pm on Tuesday.  

Image Courtesy of City Sweet Tooth

Delivery requires a two dozen minimum order, and we will be making deliveries both Wednesday and Thursday.  However, if you don’t need that many, we are taking preorders for pickup at Madison Square Eats and DeKalb Market!  Email us to reserve your cupcakes, whether its just one or one hundred! (note that our cupcakes contain dairy and are not remotely kosher- but they’re still tasty!)

Annoucement #2: As of tomorrow, our new hours at DeKalb Market are:

Monday through Friday: 12 noon til 8pm

Saturday and Sunday: 11am til 8pm

We iz tired.  Moving back our opening an hour means I get to see my kids before school during the week, and it means Matt gets 5 hours of sleep instead of 4 hours on the weekends.  

Our hours at Madison Square Eats are 11am til 9pm every single day until October 21st, meaning you only have a small window in which to come see us in Manhattan. Tomorrow and Wednesday our booth will be manned by the lovely Siobhan of Blondie and Brownie, so if you want to meet someone who was actually entertaining enough to make Zagat’s 140 People You Should Follow On Twitter, maybe you should go and see HER instead of my dull-ass (PS- thanks to all the people who have come down Madison just to tell me how much they love this blog and our Twitter account. You guys mean a lot more to me than some silly old website…..even if it was one as awesome as this one).

And regardless if you’re in Flatiron or in Metrotech- you should come out for a brownie or a cupcake today!  I bet you could use it!

Weather is perfect right now, and it’s going to stay beautiful all weekend, meaning it’s about dang time you GOT THE HELL OUT OF THE HOUSE!!!

Fall could not have come quick enough. I’m working outdoors right now in a crisp breeze, drinking coffee and wearing an adorable little sweater.  I look so goddamn cute right now, really.  (And if you want to come look cute with me, I’ll be working on the book at Hom in Bay Ridge for the next week, enjoying their fair trade coffee and free WiFi. They also have some pretty dope cupcakes here, if that’s your thing).

I think you guys should all put on cute sweaters and come see us this weekend- or at the very least an adorable jacket.  Because, well, there’s just so much to do this weekend! And NEW FLAVORS! Like:

-We’re using up the last of our New Jersey sweet corn to make something special just for you- a popcorn cupcake! Sweet corn cake, with a salted sweet butter buttercream, topped with Iowa popcorn!

-We also got some gorgeous sweet potatoes on our last trip to the farms in Jersey- so Sweet Potato Pie cupcakes are coming back!

-A cupcake inspired by baklava that we’re still designing……want to help us out? Friend us on Facebook- we ask for your input quite often over there!

-This puppy right here

Remember this from a few weeks ago? This is the Laurenzano: fresh fig cake with goat cheese buttercream, fig balsamic gastrique and crispy prosciutto.  This is the last time you’ll have a chance to see this for at least a year since fig season is just about done.  

And of course, what would a very special day be without

CHICKEN N’ WAFFLES CUPCAKES!!!

You’ve heard about them, you’ve been requesting them for weeks, and tomorrow they’ll be back to knock your socks off.  And there will be TWO spots to get them at:

As always, come visit our store at DeKalb Market in Downtown Brooklyn (138 Willoughby Street).  This weekend is “Family Weekend”, so there will be lots of great attractions for the kids, plus DJs and Brooklyn Brewery for the adults.  

AND

Come visit us and 74 other vendors for The Brooklyn Local, a fundraiser at DUMBO’s Historic Tobacco Warehouse benefiting City Harvest. In the afternoon, I’ll be hosting a “Make Your Own Cupcake Bar” for the kids, where kids can frost their own cupcakes and add as many toppings as they’d like. And in true Robicelli’s fashion, no food dyes or sprinkles- we’ll have crushed cookies, homemade chocolate and caramel sauces, chocolate chips, dried fruits (because we’re parents too- we just had to try), and more!

Fun fact: last time I was at the Tobacco Warehouse was almost 10 years ago, when my right arm made an appearance in a Most Precious Blood music video (don’t try to find me- you’ll have a seizure). Had you told me at that shoot that one day I’d be in the same spot hosting a kids’ cupcake decorating table at an artisan food festival……well, I mean seriously, how ridiculous is that last statement?

I guess this means I’m officially grown up now.  Because I didn’t get the hint from the marriage, children or businesses.  *le sigh*

Anyway- come down!  We look forward to seeing you!  And please tell me how young looking and attractive I am! Thanks in advance! 

bklynography:

So perhaps you’ve all noticed that Brooklyn has become something of a mecca for independent markets and outdoor social events. The trend continues with the recent opening of DeKalb Market, an outdoor arrangement of shipping containers that have been re-purposed to host both food and retail vendors.

The first thing you’re probably asking is “What makes DeKalb Market different from Brooklyn Flea or Northside Market or the GreenMarket or a boat show?” Well I’ll tell you. First of all, there are no boats at DeKalb Market. Secondofly, DeKalb Market is largely made out of old shipping containers, making it weatherproof while also providing spells of air conditioning, and promoting the re-use of old junk. Recycling!

Read More

Wee bit of bad news today guys.  As it’s five billion degrees outside, and we’ve spent the entire week doing hours upon hours manual labor outdoors in said billion degree weather, we decided to scrap deliveries for today.  Really, it’s so so so so so so SOOOOOOOOOOO goddamn hot outside, plus we’re only 10 days away from opening so we’re working at warp speed on getting the place nice and purdy for all y’all.  

Don’t think I didn’t take pictures of what’s been causing me to feel like every bone in my body is broken!  These went out on Twitter yesterday (which is why you should follow us to get the inside scoop), but here they are for all your enjoyment:

After the forklift company sent the wrong kind of forklift twice (because we are obviously the first people to ever try and use a forklift to lift a shipping container), we finally got our store to jump on one of these puppies and rolled her into her permanent spot right by the front entrance on Flatbush Avenue.  See how the forklift fits nicely into the FORKLIFT HOLES in the bottom of each container?  See why we set a world record for facepalming on site this week?

Nice and nestled in its home, next to the lovely stripey sidewalk.  It looks totally magical- like something you’d find in Candyland!  Except in this instance, it’s going to take you to baked goods.  And some candy, too. So it was technically sort of accurate (yes, they’ll be a lot more than cupcakes at the shop, but we’re not telling you everything just yet).  

And what’s that off in the distance of the magical stripey sidewalk?

Why, it’s the DeKalb Avenue subway station, servicing the R, B and Q lines!  In the 30 years I’ve lived here, I’ve always thought that DeKalb Avenue needed more rainbows.  And now we’ve got them!  I’m hoping in the 20 feet between the station and our shop, people will be inspired not only to skip, but saunter and twirl!  ALWAYS TWIRLING!!!  

It’s what Biggie would have wanted, folks.  But now back to the inside:

And there you have it folks!  The much alluded to color our children picked out: “Infinity and Beyond Blue”.  We’re trying to stay away from all that cutesy polka dotted adorable cupcake crap because it makes us throw up in our mouths a whole effing lot it’s not our style.  You’re as likely to find the color pink in one of our shops are you are to find a raisin.  

We’ll be finishing this off with a few appliances, a bakery case, and some amazing handmade pieces created by the incomparable Mr. Jeremy Pickett, all made from reclaimed wood.   

Tomorrow: Finishing the walls- then kicking up some splinters with my belt sander and inhaling polyurethane fumes in the hot sun!  And if I survive- see you on Friday!

Help Our IndieGoGo Campaign!

Photo courtesy of Catherine Mangosing of MyTurtleneck.com

I’ve tried several different approaches to writing this post: witty, self-depreciating, sappy, etc etc etc, and there’s really no way to approach this but honest:

It is incredibly difficult to write anything when the honest truth is that you’re asking for money. 

We don’t have a flashy video yet- I’ve downloaded editing software but I have absolutely no idea how it works (who’s surprised?!?!?!).  But I did spend all weekend writing, rewriting, editing, scrapping the whole thing and then finally finishing our IndieGoGo pitch- our history, our plans, our dreams for this business and our family.  And the God’s honest truth is that it makes me feel insanely vulnerable.  We’ve spent the past three years as captains of this proverbial ship: making our own decisions, formulating plans, hustling to make things happen.  Now, after swimming against the current for what feels like forever, we have been given this amazing opportunity to reopen at the Dekalb Market, but we can’t do it alone.

As a stubborn woman with Sicilian blood coursing through my veins, it is soooooo so so so hard to admit that I can’t do everything by myself and need help.  So here I am, in front of all of you, laying it all out on the line.  We need your help to make this happen.

If every one of our Twitter followers, minus the porn-bots, donated 10 bucks, we’ll meet our goal.  You’ll get a cupcake for your troubles, your name on the shop’s wall, and our undying love and appreciation.  And we’ve got lots of other fancy prizes too if you’re inclined to be a bit more generous:

***The opportunity to be on our R&D team! Every few months, Matt and I hole ourselves up in the kitchen with lots of crazy new ingredients we’ve found at various ethnic and specialty markets around the city, and see what we can do with them (and it’s not always cupcake-exclusive).  As a member of the R&D team, you’ll be given samples from these baking sessions and asked for your input as to what will make them better, your ideas will be solicited as we come up with new flavors, and you will be invited into our kitchen for one of these special “baking parties”, where we play around and try to come up with new and interesting food!***

***Become a part of the rotation with your very own signature cupcake! We’ll sit down and conduct a thorough interview with you come up with ideas based on your heritage, your life and your personality, then develop a cupcake in your honor!  Millions of Americans will have the opportunity to eat you every day!!!***

***A topless photo of Matt with your name, or the name of your choosing, written across his chest in lipstick! Makes a lovely Mother’s Day gift!***

***Let us show you how we fell in love with food in the first place with a South Brooklyn food tour! One Saturday you and a guest will join us as we eat and shop through neighborhoods like Red Hook, Sunset Park, Brighton Beach, Sheepshead Bay, Mill Basin, Coney Island & much more.  You’ll get us for the full day- you pay for your own food, we’ll handle drinks, gas, driving, and narration.  We’ll also leave our trunk free so you can stock up at all the specialty markets we hit, and we’ll drive you and your groceries to your front door.  In between stops, you’ll see such beloved Brooklyn landmarks as the Civil War era cannon my mother got stuck in back in 1961, the parks we used to get hammered in during the 90s (currently filled with more drunk and belligerent teens!), and the strip of Bay Ridge Matt once ran down butt naked with only a cowboy hat covering his man-parts because “it was really hot” and he “couldn’t deal with wearing clothes anymore”.***

I will promise, though you can’t see it, that I will cry a little bit after every donation is made. The fact that I did a “soft launch” of this thing on Saturday afternoon, just barely mentioning it on our new Facebook page and casually on Twitter, and already we’re seeing donations- I’m just so touched that people really believe in us.  Thanks to you guys, we believe in us, too. :)

PS: If anyone was wondering why I named all the prizes after characters from Full House- I got to filling out that part at around 4am, and hadn’t planned on coming up with cutesy-wootsey titles for everything. Thanks to my horrific ADD, I always have at least one episode of Full House playing in my brain at any given time, so those names popped up and they’re sticking.

PPS: Becky does not get a prize named after her because she ruined the show.

Well the cat is finally out of the bag……after months and months of keeping our mouths shut on a certain “super secret project”, The DeKalb Market was officially announced on Wednesday!  This has been in the works for us since last July, and for Urban Space (the curator) even longer, so we are tremendously excited to be getting so close to opening. 

Since there seems to be so many misconceptions about what this is and isn’t, I will sum it up with the CAPS LOCK button on, so you know I’m not fooling around:

THIS IS OUR BRAND SPANKING NEW RETAIL LOCATION!!!!  THIS IS NOT A POP-UP, NOT A FLEA MARKET, IT IS AN ACTUAL 160 SQUARE FOOT RETAIL SHOP THAT WILL HAVE CHAIRS AND TABLES AND THE WHOLE SHEBANG.  OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND.

EXCEPT CHRISTMAS. 

AND MAYBE MY BIRTHDAY, BECAUSE THAT’S ON AUGUST 1ST AND IT’S ALWAYS REALLY HOT THAT DAY SO YOU’LL ALL PROBABLY BE STAYING HOME ANYWAY.  OR WE’LL COME INTO WORK IN BIKINIS.  THAT INCLUDES MATT.

     Since we’re going back into retail, expect to see a LOT more of our flavors available all the time, being delivered fresh every day of the week.  AND this means you’ll be seeing fan favorites like The Elvis, The Iona and Chicken n’Waffles several times a month, not just once in a blue moon.  Plus, it means we finally get the creative outlet to take risks again, so you’ll be seeing us go back to developing more things along the lines of The Spicy Panda (chocolate Thai chilli) and The Mikey (Coke & Pop-Rocks).  AND it means that many of the other baked goods that you old-skool fans from our first store remember will be coming back, like the brownies, whoopie pies, coffee cakes with 63 inches of crumbs on top, and more!

     Visiting our new shop is reason enough for most of you to come down once it opens, but I’m sure you’re wondering what else the place will have to offer.  Well….

   ……there’s going to be a large performance space for outdoor concerts & conventions, that’s going to be enclosed during the winter to become a big indoor picnic spot

  ………there’s going to be an urban farm, with outreach programs to local schools getting kids involved in learning where our food comes from

     ……….there’s going to be LOTS more containers than just the one we’re in, and each will be it’s own unique retail store curated by some of NYC’s best.  Joining us in the food section will be:

• Our friends at Joe Coffee (their first Brooklyn location!)
• Roberta’s!!!!  (ACK!)
• Maharlika!!!!  (Yay Filipino food!)
• Cuzin’s Duzin!!! (I hear donuts are the new cupcake!)
• LOTS more that I can’t announce yet, but am ridiculously excited about.  And you guys know what an incorrigible food slut I am, so it’s gonna be good.

And that’s not to mention all the cute retail boutiques: Daga Antiques, Harriets Alter Ego, Dalaga, 3rd Ward, and dozens more.  There’s going to be an independent book store, cheese shop, greenmarket….pretty much if I didn’t have a shop there, I’d quit my job so I could be there every single day. 

Sure beats the hell out of just selling cupcakes out of a shipping container on Flatbush Avenue, doesn’t it? :P

(btw- It has been really hard keeping this a secret for the past 8 months. REALLY REALLY hard.)

We’ll be posting a lot more about this project over the next few weeks: raising funds for equipment, asking you guys for design ideas (we really shouldn’t be leaving the design portion to ourselves, as we’ll end up filling the place with stuff like this, or this, or this), and most importantly, having repeated nervous breakdowns which I will share with you in hilariously uncomfortable blog posts. 

But enough about the future- let’s get to today and the glorious flavors that it brings!!!

I have no idea how to make this picture go right side up.  I’ve corrected it on my computer, saved it, but the when I upload it to Foodspotting it flips it upside down again.  So instead of fixing the problem, everyone tilt your heads alllllll the way to the left so you’re upside down a little, and then say to yourself: “Clockwise from front: Wild Maine Blueberry Cobbler, Cinnamon Bun, Bluth and Butterbeer”.  Now you’ve done your stretching for the morning.  You’re welcome.

NEW!!!! CINNAMON BUN:  Vanilla cake with cinnamon swirl, cream cheese buttercream, streusel top, cinnamon drizzle

THE BLUTH: Chocolate banana cake, chocolate buttercream, roasted walnuts, chocolate ganache

WILD MAINE BLUEBERRY COBBLER:  Vanilla cake splashed with blueberry sauce, vanilla buttercream, wild Maine blueberry compote, streusel topping

BUTTERBEER: Butterscotch soaked cake, butterscotch buttercream, edible gold dust

________________________________________

Available at:

CAFE AT SAM’S BAKERY- 94th Street off 3rd Ave, Bay Ridge

CRESPELLA CREPE & ESPRESSO BAR- 321  7th Avenue at 9th Street, Park Slope

MARKET- Cortelyou Road btwn Westminster & Argyle, Ditmas Park

TAZZA CAFES- Henry off Atlantic and Clark off Henry, Brooklyn Heights

BEDFORD HILL:  Corner of Franklin & Greene, Bed Stuy/Clinton Hill

RADISH- Bedford Ave off N8th, Williamsburg

RED HOOK LOBSTER POUND: 284 Van Brunt Street, Red Hook AND The Brooklyn Flea at One Hanson Place

EASTERN DISTRICT- Manhattan Ave off N8th Eagle St, Greenpoint

BROOKLYN STANDARD:  Nassau Ave & Jewel St, Greenpoint

CAKESHOP- Ludlow btwn Stanton & Rivington, Lower East Side

LILY O’BRIEN’S AT BRYANT PARK-  E40th btwn 5th and 6th, Midtown

THE BROOKLYNEER-  220 West Houston btwn 6th & 7th Avenues, West Village

JOE: UNION SQUARE-  E. 13th Street btwn 5th Avenue & University Place

JOE: COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY-  W. 120th btwn Broadway & Amsterdam Avenue

*Note: Not all locations receive all flavors.  The flavors recieved are determined by each store’s management, not by us.  If there’s something in the upcoming rotation you want to see, let them know directly.