Food & Wine

Photo courtesy of Rachel Young

Do we have a new contender for the region’s best cupcakes? A little-known — for now — Olympia-based business named Miss Moffett’s Mystical Cupcakes will be featured on the Food Network’s Cupcake Wars TV show on Saturday, Oct. 12. Owner Rachel Young and her mom, Victoria Cunningham, will be competing for the $10,000 prize and a chance to have their cupcakes featured at an L.A. bridal event, baking against three other mother-daughter teams.

Their audition video over here won them a prompt invitation to come tape the show in June. “I am so proud of my daughter,” baking assistant Cunningham smiles in the sweet 3-minute spot. (Mom also holds up a sign saying “Trust yourself” as Young hands out cake pops and business cards at the farmers market in the drenching rain.) The business is mostly wholesale and at Olympia businesses (a storefront is in the works), but cupcakes or cake pops should be stocked locally as of Thursday, Oct. 10, at A Muddy Cup in Wallingford.

Young, who has a finance degree and once worked as an accountant at University Village (her other positions include stay-at-home mom), said she first worked with her mother when they owned a real estate company together and “realized we were pretty dynamic as a team.” They balance each others strengths and weaknesses, she said, and “consider each other close friends.”

The cupcakes, inspired by family recipes, come in vegan, gluten-free, and sugar-free variations, as well as standard types. The “mystical” part is that some flavors are based on Tarot cards. Even before she started baking commercially, Young said, she loved Cupcake Wars so much she practically would wanted a business just to compete.
And even when she’s exhausted, she said in the video, it’s hard for her to stop mixing and frosting, because she feels so comfortable in the kitchen.

If you’re down south, Young and her mom will also host a viewing and tasting event at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 15, at the Lacey Community Center. (Cost: $8.)

In other sweets news, a new Queen Anne branch of Cupcake Royale will have its grand opening all day Thursday, Oct. 10, at 1935 Queen Anne Ave. N. Stop by for cupcakes, pastries, ice cream, and coffee. The first 100 customers get a free mug with espresso purchase. Cupcakes will be baked on site, and look for the front-of-the-house frosting station. (To see how they do it, check out our video of frosting techniques from the opening of the Capitol Hill shop.) Can’t make it to a storefront? The cupcakery now does home delivery in Seattle for a $15 fee, with a minimum of a dozen cupcakes.

Then, the cherry on top: A few Washington chocolatiers scored big in the Americas semifinals round of the International Chocolate Awards. Skagit-based Forte, Seattle-based jcoco, Theo and Chocolopolis were all honored. The complete list is over here.

File photo of Paula Deen by Carlo Allegri/AP

It had to happen:

“NEW YORK (AP) — Paula Deen lost another key business partner Monday: Butter said it is no longer working with her. The announcement came days after the Food Network said it would not renew the celebrity cook’s contract in the wake of revelations that she used racial slurs in the past..”

It is, needless to say, a spoof article, one of the funnier ones to come out of the passionate debate over Deen’s recent remarks in a legal deposition. Writer Cheryl Reid-Simons continued on her Facebook page:

“In a terse comment, Butter acknowledged its long association with Deen but said it would be cutting all ties with her and her brand. “Butter has a long and proud tradition of contributing to obesity and coronary disease in people of all races and ethnic backgrounds,” the dairy spread said. “At this point it seems clear that Ms. Deen is better suited to a relationship with margarine,” Butter said.

Lard, Salt and Sugar also issued statements Monday, indicating that they were “carefully evaluating” their relationship with Deen. “We will be monitoring the situation and the litigation carefully,” a spokesperson for Lard said.”

Whether it’s serious analysis or careful corporate comments or comic relief, it’s been almost impossible to avoid talk about Deen’s remarks since they blew up the Internet (including Twitter) last week. Want to continue avoiding them? Click away now! For others, here’s a summary of the debates and updates:
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