Cupcake Ice Cream + More Delights at City Girl
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
On a sweltering hot day in the middle of July, all anyone really wants is a good cupcake. Or ice cream. Or, even better - a combination of the two.
City Girl Cupcake in downtown Providence will give you just that, and furthermore, it will be homemade, organic, and with fresh local ingredients. Co-founded by Catherine Corrente and Isabella Veader in 2010, City Girl was bought in May by owner Steve Smith and expanded from having around 6-8 cupcake flavors to an impressive 44... and counting. On top of that, they made the leap from cupcakes, to ice cream, to cupcake-flavored ice cream (including a delicious Red Velvet) all within the past few months. “Bringing in ice cream has helped business tremendously,” says Smith, “Especially in the summer months.”
Creative cupcaking
The main pastry chef at City Girl Cupcake is Liz Reinhardt, a Johnson & Wales student who will graduate next month with her Associates degree in Baking & Pastries and Bachelors in Hospitality & Food Services. The
“cupake-ologist” as they like to call her, heads the baking operation in the store’s pursuit to provide creative and unique flavors to their customers. Among these inventive treats are the “Breakfast Cupcake”, a tequila-infused “Margaritaville Cupcake”, “Hostess with the Mostess” which is their take on the classic hostess packaged chocolate cupcake, and a “Snickerdoodle Cupcake” which is currently in the works. They are constantly dreaming up new flavors for cupcakes and ice cream because it’s what keeps the customers coming back. “People know we’re always selling different flavors, so we’ll have regulars coming in twice a week to see what’s new,” explains Smith. GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
Homemade cupcakes, up to 1,000 a week
Everything they sell is homemade, whipped up in a tiny kitchen right in the back of their bright pink store on 99 Weybosset Street. Their “micro-bakery”, as Smith refers to it, has just 2 ovens and 2 ice cream makers which doesn’t seem like a lot, but they can produce up to 1000 cupcakes a week. The most important thing to City Girl, which also sets them apart, is the quality of the ingredients they use. They make their products with all organic and nut-free ingredients that are seasonal and farm fresh. The ingredients are purchased mainly at Whole Foods and a large portion of their fruit comes from the local farmer's market.
In addition to providing sweet treats to city-goers of Providence, CGC tries to give back to the community as well. They have worked closely with the Gloria Gemma Foundation, featuring a signature cupcake “Pink Champagne” to promote breast cancer awareness with part of the proceeds going towards the fight against breast cancer. They also deliver free cupcakes each month to the children at the Ronald McDonald House as well as make frequent donations to Crossroads Rhode Island.
City Girl Cupcake, 99 Weybosset St, Providence, 580-1271.
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