Let Them Eat Cake
For Chocolate Lovers
By: Emma Jarrett
Photo Courtesy of Emma Jarrett
For anyone looking to suppress a sweet tooth or curb a craving, Let Them Eat Cake offers a variety of ways to do in the form of cupcakes, chocolate fondue and custom-made cakes.
The family-owned shop is located at 4747 East Thomas Road in Phoenix, in “sweet” E.
Owner Barbara Gardner began baking cakes in 1977 as a senior in High School. After graduating she took a cake decorating class through JC Penny’s.
“I loved art,” said Gardner. “I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
She starting running a small cake business out of her own home.
The family-owned shop is located at 4747 East Thomas Road in Phoenix, in “sweet” E.
Owner Barbara Gardner began baking cakes in 1977 as a senior in High School. After graduating she took a cake decorating class through JC Penny’s.
“I loved art,” said Gardner. “I knew it was something I wanted to do.”
She starting running a small cake business out of her own home.
Inside Let Them Eat Cake!
By: Emma Jarrett
My first cake was free,” said Gardner. “After that I decided I was going to charge because I needed to buy more equipment and to someday open my own store front.”
As a home-run business, promotion was hard due to Health Department regulations but soon Gardner got a baking license and started renting out kitchen space.
After passing the location the shop now inhibits and seeing a for lease sign, Gardner decided to go for it. The shop started in one suite and was by appointment only, but nine months after the shop opened the suite next door went on the market. The Gardner’s expanded into the suite to provide room for customers to have their cake and eat it too.
“I thought well I’m here all the time so I might as well be open to the public,” said Gardner, adding, “and that’s how we have the café here.”
Customers can come in to the Cupcake’s Café Corner and choose from a variety of filled cupcakes and may take home just one or as many as they would like. Single cupcakes are $3.25 each and a dozen goes for $36. The boutique features 15 flavors daily, nine regulars such as Oreo, Velvet Rose, Little Deb and Boston Cream Pie and six weekly specials.
“It’s never a dull moment in this business,” said Gardner. “It’s really rewarding.”
The cake boutique also offers the ultimate chocolate fondue experience through a choice of two different fondue packages. The basic package offers just the chocolate fountain while the all-inclusive package offers the fountain plus an array of dipping choices such as strawberries, cream puffs and marshmallows.
The real sweet heart of the shop comes in the form of custom-made cakes for all occasions. Customers can choose from a variety of traditional flavors such as chocolate, vanilla and marble or premium flavors such as champagne, carrot or cheesecake. Cake can also be filled with a number of sweet surprises such as fudge, raspberry, mouse, whipped crème or fresh fruit.
“Clients will see something in a book and say that’s what I want,” said Gardner. “We are more than happy to do that.”
The shop recently sculpted a challenging spinning globe cake.
“The thing about this business for me is to get out of my comfort zone and try something new,” said Gardner. “When we are able to create and use our talents that’s when it’s amazing.”
