LA JOLLA (CBS 8) - Ever since the first shop opened in Beverly Hills, Sprinkles has been the cupcake of the stars. Now the owners are getting ready to celebrate the opening of a new gourmet bakery in La Jolla. Larry Himmel talks to the company's founder about its San Diego debut.
Three years ago when I first met Candace Nelson at her boutique bakery in Beverly Hills, I asked the queen of cupcakes what was next.
"I was prepared for that question, and actually we are looking in the San Diego area, and specifically La Jolla," she said at the time.
Thursday that dream will become a reality, as Sprinkles Cupcakes opens its doors in La Jolla.
"When my husband and I first started the first ever cupcake-only bakery six years ago, people thought we were nuts. They said, 'That will never work,'" Candace said.
Since then, Candace has become a rock star on the Food Network and she and her husband Charles have opened nine Sprinkles with two more slated for Washington, D.C. and New York. They don't mind that there is now competition on almost every corner.
"To look around and see how many cupcake bakeries there are, it's really very flattering actually," Candace said.
The Nelsons don't even mind sharing Sprinkles' recipe for success. It starts with the perfect batter. Red velvets are still their best sellers, and each one is slathered in a generous dollop of cream cheese frosting.
"And just like everything here that's handcrafted at Sprinkles, we hand-frost every single cupcake," Candace said.
Each cupcake is topped with their trademark.
"We're known for our modern dots… that's our symbol and that dot color tells you what cupcakes are underneath," Candace explained.
Over the past six years, Sprinkles has turned a kid's dessert into a gourmet treat.
"Now we've made cupcakes that are elegant enough for dinner parties, showers or really any event in your life," Candace said.
For La Jolla, the big event is this Thursday.
