Apr. 29, 2009 - Issue #706: Nevermore
Flirt Cupcakes: Wicked good flirt
Stop teasing and dive right in to Edmonton's newest cupcake shop
Open since Valentine's Day, Krupa and his business partner Michelle Lemoignan have been working hard to feed the city's fervor for cupcakes. "Every day is a new milestone," shares Krupa. "On Saturdays, there's never a dull moment, and there's usually a line-up out the door."
With over 20 years of experience as an air force and commercial pilot, it seems unnatural at first glance for Krupa to have transitioned to a cupcake business. But what Krupa enjoys most about his new venture is something that was lacking in his previous career—being able to connect personally with each and every customer. "I would make a habit of mingling with the guests and greeting them when they came into the airplane," says Krupa. "I think I have a good feel for how a person's day is going." He also grew up baking with his late grandmother, and learned to love the craft in high school. "We would make the best cinnamon rolls in the world," he reminisces.
Krupa met Lemoignan, a former fashion designer, when they both joined the same co-ed hockey team three years ago. That same year, the pair were voted captain and assistant captain, and after that, knew that they would be able to work together. Out for drinks with the team one night this past October, someone casually asked Lemoignan how her cupcake endeavour was coming along. "This was too much of a coincidence," remembers Krupa. "I had just been to Vancouver and Calgary and saw their cupcake shops, while Michelle had been in California looking at cupcake places, stirring ideas in her head."
They met a few days later, shook on it, and aimed for a Valentine's Day opening. "We were totally new to setting up our own business and doing everything," admits Krupa. "It was a whole learning experience."
The pair initially considered the idea of adopting the Vancouver-based franchise Cupcakes, but realized it would mean ceding their conceptions and control over their business. "We both thought, 'If we're going to do this,'" tells Krupa, "'we're going to do this with our ideas. We have enough skill and life experience to come up with our own vision of what we want.'"
Everything from the flooring to the colour scheme to the logo was discussed in detail. Then came the cupcakes themselves. "Michelle was pretty particular about what the recipes would taste like," says Krupa. "She's been making cupcakes for 10 years."
The bakery offers either a vanilla or chocolate cake base with eight different icing varieties per day. The icing recipes have slowly evolved as well, as Flirt recently began using a Madagascar bourbon vanilla for their buttercream icing, and after being introduced to a Venezuelan cocoa by Kerstin's Chocolates, integrated the richer, premium cocoa into their signature chocolate icing. New flavours are also continuously in development, with a goal of offering a special type every week (a black forest cupcake is already in the works).
Regular patrons have already pegged their favourites, ranging from Krupa's preference, the Marie Antoinette with a cream cheese icing, to Lemoignan's pick, the strawberry-topped Wild on Whyte. Krupa says the store has received their share of compliments for their cupcakes. "A little old lady came in one day," Krupa shares, "and she just said, 'I want you to know that your vanilla cake tastes like white toast with lots of butter and honey.'"
Flirt prides itself on fresh products. "We don't sell a day old because we want our products to always taste fresh," states Krupa. "So we bake in the morning and in the afternoon."
Their attention to the small things—like serving fair trade organic coffee from local roaster St. City Roasters, to ensuring the cupcake boxes are not only gift-worthy, but recyclable—make it clear that both Krupa and Lemoignan have considered every detail.
When asked about whether or not he is worried about the current state of the economy affecting his business, Krupa couldn't be more relaxed. "My thought is that when you crave something like a cup of coffee or a dessert," he says, "the recession is not going to take that craving away. It's always going to be there. Everybody always has a few bucks in their pocket to get themselves a sweet treat."
Though Krupa doesn't know what the future will bring, he hopes that the city continues its fascination with cupcakes. That would definitely be cause for celebration—with a cupcake, of course. V
Rick Krupa & Michelle Lemoignan
Flirt Cupcakes
10158 - 82 Ave, 780.757.4899
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