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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2008)
6 FEBRUARY 1,2008 Smoke Signals FEBRUARY 1, 2008 Smoke Signals 7 Hw sweeG 5ft hi Tribal member opens Cupcake Jones in the Pearl District By Ron Karten Smoke Signals staff writer Tribal member Lisa Wat son is chasing her frosted dream with a serious busi ness plan. It took her months to write. She worked with a consultant who told her not to get involved in the knead ing or the punching or the pounding or the pulling. Instead, the consultant advised her to use her people talents to keep customers satisfied and her knowledge of the overall business to keep abreast of trends, and still make sure that all the other aspects of the business stay in balance. Watson had been a no-nonsense sales manager for Sara Lee before this latest adventure, and "always worked in food," she said during a recent interview at the store she calls Cupcake Jones, named after her fa ther, Tribal Elder Bob Jones Watson. It is also a play on the slang word "jones-ing," which loosely speaking refers to "a craving." The pastry maker's motto is, "We have what you crave." Watson and husband, Peter Shanky of Portland, who works in ground operations with U.S. Airways, built the business that opened a little more than six months ago in Port land's Pearl District at 307 N.W. 10th St., right next to the Ben & Jerry's. Already, it is a trea sure discovered by locals and continually discovered by an ever changing cast of tour ists both to Oregon and The Pearl. Cupcake Jones was something Watson, 41, had to do when she saw the model for the store, another cupcake bakery, while celebrating Shanky's birthday in Vancouver, British Columbia, a few years back. "I fell in love with the idea," Wat son said. "And I always wanted to have my own business." Today, the store is filled with a seasonal variety of cupcakes, but these are not ordinary cupcakes. It was a wise move to make tastes available to customers in the 783-square-foot operation. The place is so small that Watson made a conscious decision before Christmas to forgo tables and chairs for more room in the kitchen. "We got an order for a 1,000 cup cakes," she said, "and it pushed us to the limit for space." She saw in that moment the di rection her business would move. "Weddings, birthdays, parties and catering," she said. Trends to date, however, show that summer traffic is shaping up to be "mostly walk-in," Watson said, "and winter is mostly about events." There's a bench inside and dur ing the summer there are a few more benches outside of the store for those who would sit with their cupcake and coffee in the afternoon or early evening sun. TP 0 0 4 .-J -1 VV vrt -r& ;H "4 k M AT.TS I ...... 1 . Photos by Ron Karten Above, Tribal member Lisa Watson stands behind the cupcake case at her new eatery, Cupcake Jones. At the back of the store at left is pastry chef Elizabeth Strong. Below, Watson takes an order on the phone. a 3 $ f r r t t NWGUmnSt NWFUmlenSt NWEwwttSt NWDtivtaSt NW Couch St WBunwkktSt em f 9 f f f 3? I The store is open "10 to 8ish" Monday through Saturday, and "12 to 6ish" Sundays. But for many regulars, including dog owners who drop in for a cup cake for themselves and a doggie cupcake made especially for Fido, they eat them on their walk, Wat son said. "For lots of dogs, this is the destination for their walk." The environmentally-oriented company recycles materials and buys locally whenever possible. "Local flowers, fruit and ingredients are the cornerstone of our products," reports www.cupcakejones.net. "Even the paper towels we dry our hands with all day get recy cled," the Web site reports. And Cupcake Jones follows the long Native tradition of giving back to the community. Weekly donations go to Blanchet House, which provides housing and meals to the homeless, Campfire Girls, Girls Club, animal shelters and The Red Dress Party, which donates the proceeds to vari ous support agencies for the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, among others. Cupcake Jones delivers across the metropolitan area with the help of Flexcar. The "low-emission, fuel efficient vehicles are conveniently parked near homes and workplac es," according to the Flexcar Web site. "Members use them when they need them, paying just a simple hourly rate that includes gas, insur ance and maintenance." For Watson and her four pastry chefs, the key is that everything including the garnishes is made from scratch. That means, for example, using hard candy to create rose petals on a cupcake. It also means no shortening. The chocolate chip cupcake fea tures cookie dough filling for the cake and an actual chocolate chip cookie on top. The little darlings are so delicate that Watson recommends they are eaten the same day they are pur chased (and made) and if they have landed in the refrigerator for any time, she recommends that they sit at room temperature for an hour or so to allow the frosting to return to its "soft and fluffy" texture. These delicacies and they are that come from the minds and talents of Watson and her cadre of Cordon Bleu-trained pastry chefs. "It's a very technical science," Watson said. 'Those who have a for mal education really thrive here." The ideas that have made this company grow are as enticing as the eats. All day on Fridays, Cup cake Jones introduces "happy hour cocktail-inspired cupcakes" last month offering customers cupcakes flavored to represent Kahlua coffee, hot buttered rum and eggnog. The menu changes every month and there are daily specials, too. In addition, clever names entice the hungry mind: think of "Down town Cupcake Brown" and "The Pearl." The first is a "delicious dev il's food cake filled with sour cream chocolate ganache, topped with rich fudge icing and fresh grated chocolate." The second is "white velvet cake filled with vanilla pastry cream, topped with vanilla bean batter cream icing and a single handmade white chocolate pearl." And finally, for the really dedi cated, there is the shot of straight frosting that's right, all frosting in a shot glass. The other half of Watson's strate gy is cheery service. "I tell everyone who applies for counter work that I'm looking for somebody who has a passion for serving people." For the first four months, Watson said, "we hardly slept at all. After work, I'd be at Kinko's for three hours. Now, I'm getting four hours a night." However, as her husband said, "If it was easy, everybody would do it." B X'. f v 5 1 o cup O cake .. -jr . ' ' I t i t Above, behold the Cherry Cheesecake cupcake, a white velvet cake with a homemade cherry pie filling topped with cheesecake icing and a hand candied cherry. Below is where you finr this and more, at 307 N.W. 10th St. in Portland's Pearl District. Jf SI r i i TTlTnnjT miff " " il ; 11 11.1 l I UL i-r:. m ij - o ,,o bp.'.';i ;' ri:: ; S1Z. ft" nUfffc- H 4-. ! I j 7 'ym
