Maria Tongko

Burbank, CA (USA)
Role(s):
C-Level Executive (CEO, CFO, etc.)

Cupcakes & Company, Inc.

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Location: Burbank
Industry: Food Service/Restaurant
Year Founded: 2007
Number Employees: 1-10 people
Description: Cupcakes & Company is a unique bakeshop specializing in cupcakes, influenced by an ever popular Asian-Euro Fusion concept. Although our main products, cupcakes, are heavily steeped in an All-American tradition our flavors and approach to making the products are inherently international. This means our products are made fresh daily with no added preservatives or artificial flavorings. Our cupcakes & pastries are made in the craftsman style, in small batches and no pre-mixed batters, ever. Without compromising taste for convenience Cupcakes & Company will be recognized for our unique flavor offerings and exceptional customer service. Some of our interesting tastes are deeply rooted in Asian cuisine, such as: Purple Yam (Ube), which is very similar to the Hawaiian Taro Root, Manila Mango and Zen (Green Tea). At Cupcakes & Company, we recognize that the American palate is more adventurous and we want to be the first to introduce new tastes to the culture. The European style is easily recognizable in the French Buttercream we create and Artisanal methods of product preparation. Rather than the firm American Buttercream, which is made using heavy confectioner’s sugar, we make a sugar syrup and add egg whites to the frosting, ensuring our toppings are light as air and not overly sweet. At Cupcakes & Company our goal is to satisfy your sweet tooth, not create tooth aches. Also, we use only the best ingredients we can procure and we feel that the superior cocoas and imported toppings from around the world give us a definite edge over the competition. Rather than topping our cupcakes with plain sugared sprinkles, we use Valhrona sprinkles or pearls, which are made with pure chocolate or make a creative design from chocolates by hand. Some of the top grade ingredients we use are: Dutch Black Cocoa, Valrhona Cocoa, Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla and Dark Muscovado Sugar. To ensure optimal freshness and to emphasis all natural ingredients our cupcakes made using fruit or other produce are never frozen. Our banana cupcakes are made by mashing real bananas, our carrots are hand shredded for the “Bunny Treats” and some products are seasonally based because we would never compromise our promise for freshness. After just three short months of operating our bake shop we’re on a steady track for growth. We have gained loyal patronage by our exceptional customer service and our unflagging dedication to creating the best products. We’ve been able to utilize several media forums; some of these include: print, television and the internet. We expect to further our company growth by using all marketing opportunities and media outlets. To that end, our shop will be featured in an upcoming segment for E! News Live, on the E Entertainment channel. Host Ben Lion interviewed movie actress, Heather Graham about her new movie “Miss Conception”. As part of the interview, Ben Lion and Heather Graham decorated cupcakes behind the counter and had a sit down discussion with our beautiful cupcakes on display behind them. The segment is scheduled to air on Friday, June 6, 2008 at 7:30pm. Producers of the show have promised to give an on-air mention of our bakery as well as a visual of our company logo/graphics. To date our biggest commission has been for a red carpet event for American Cancer Society: An Evening for Hope in Beverly Hills. This project was completed on Saturday, April 26th, 2008. We had several obstacles to overcome, however we were able to surmount these challenges with our professionalism and dedication to excellence. With as little as two days notice, we prepared over 1,000 miniature cupcakes in three different flavors and styles. We were then required to plate our desserts for a sit-down dinner service for 300 guests. With limited work space and time, we achieved our goal efficiently and the result was a beautifully presented dessert pleasing to both the eyes and the palate. The attendance for the black tie gala included a VIP list of such celebrities and entertainers as: Mena Suvari, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ross McCall, Daisy Fuentes, Kelly Hu, Jermaine Jackson, Archie Kao and Won G. Another high profile event that we catered was Ellen DeGeneres’ private 50th Birthday Party on the Warner Studio Lot on May 10th, 2008. A number of high profile celebrities and entertainers included: Portia Di Rossi, Tom Hanks & Rita Wilson, Gwen Stefani & Gavin Rossdale, Pink, Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey & Nick Cannon, David & Courtney Cox Arquette, Matthew Perry, Noah Wiley, David Spade, Paris & Nicky Hilton accompanied by Joel Madden & David Katzenburg. The cupcakes were specially designed Red Velvet presented on a huge display cake as well as smaller Red Velvet cupcakes which were tray passed for over 600 guests. This commission was completed with much pride on our part; as we were required to compete for this prominent assignment. We were chosen for the job based on a blind taste test against local competition. We have also catered our delicious cupcakes for a fashion launch presented by Boosted for Claw Money Case Collection Release. The event was sponsored by Swindle Magazine, Skyy Vodka, Boosted and Cobrasnake. We successfully produced two styles of cupcakes and easily adapted our presentation for this specific event. Our cupcakes were gold wrapped topped with Red Vanilla Buttercream and adorned with hand made edible white fondant discs, with the company’s logo stamped then hand painted with edible black dye. The order size was quite large with 750 pieces made to order. We have also provided cupcakes for the Disney Studios, Aramark Refreshment Services and various production companies local to Burbank. Several wedding cake orders are set to be produced within the year and some for 2009 as well. We’ve had some in-store visits from celebrities such as Adair Tishler from the TV show Heroes, Joanie Laurer AKA Chyna Doll and have had our shop recommended to friends by Miley Cyrus of Disney’s Hannah Montana.