Cups is family friendly fun

Cups has been written up SD Family friendly blog, sandiegofamily.com.

Check it out!

http://www.sandiegofamily.com/dining-and-recipes/restaurant-reviews/679-cups

http://cupslj.commailto:info@cupslj.com

I haven't desserted you...

Sorry there's been no post here in a bit - we're in the process of moving our blog to our new web site, coming out next week! Of course, these things always take longer than expected (due in large part to me, I suspect), so sorry. We will be back - I've been holding back in anticipation of the move!

Lots of new an exciting things coming in the updated web site...mostly inresponse to customers.

First, we make it easier to see the full class schedules for the upcoming months at Cups Culinary, and sign up online for maximum efficiency. We are also offering a free Cups App at the same time - so our friends can see not only what flavors are being offered that day (and every day that week), but also what specials are going on in the lounge and what classes are on the horizon. People always seem so disappointed when their favorite flavor isn't being offered the day they come in. We always tell them it's on the web site, but that's not as easy as checking your phone!

There's generally a lot more content and photos of our Cups, parties, events, and lots more. We get so much fan mail and photos, we wanted a way to share that.

We are constantly striving to make the Cups experience as good as possible, not only by serving the best cupcakes in San Diego, but also by making the experience as seamless as possible. If there's anything we do you think we could do better, please let me know. Our goal is 100% satisfaction, and we know we've got work to do.

But we're not even one year old! In fact, we're coming up on on our one-year anniversary Thanksgiving weekend. Stay tuned for more info on exciting anniversary offers and events.

If you're in town this weekend, and in costume, stop by Cups and other participating vendors on Girard for "Pillage the Village," free trick-or-treat goodies from 4-6 pm, after which we'll have our Scary-oke!

That's it for now. More substantive posts once this #@%*^&^$%$#^^ web redux rolls out!

http://cupslj.commailto:info@cupslj.com

CHECK OUT OUR UPCOMING COOKING CLASSES

Cups Culinary, Cups' teaching kitchen located at 7857 Girard Avenue, will open for public classes, starting June 5, with a kid- friendly baking class, featuring the recipes from two of Jill O'Connor's award-winning cookbooks, Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey: Desserts for the Serious Sweet Tooth and Sticky, Chewy, Messy, Gooey Treats for Kids. Come in and get your hands messy with some of Jill's most popular recipes, modified for this class only with all organic ingredients. Her luscious desserts have been enjoyed the world over; now is your chance to come in and try them yourself, under her expert supervision. The hands-on class is open to both kids and adults. $100 for parent and child, $25 for each additional child; $70 for solo adult. Max 24. Class will be held on June 5, 4:30-7:30 pm, with book-signing afterwards. Warwicks will provide both books for sale after the class.

CUPS CULINARY CLASS SCHEDULE

June 6, 13, 20, 27 - Market-to-Table featuring Chef Jesus Gonzalez, Former creative Chef for Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door Spas

Have you ever wondered what some of the beautiful produce you see in the market is, or if you know what it is, what to do with it? Do you know what a Buddhas Hand is? Or what to do with those beautiful, fragrant squash blossoms? Join Jesus on a tour of the La Jolla Farmer's Market, as he identifies and describes the summer bounty available at the market that day. The class will then collectively choose items to purchase from the market for Jesus to cook in Cups Culinary demo kitchen. Recipes will be provided to all participants in this instructional class with an expert in using the freshest local, seasonal ingredients. Lunch prepared and provided from the market's bounty. $65. 11 am-2pm. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Max 24. This class will be offered every Sunday through the summer.

June 10 - Vegan Cupcake Baking*

Have you crossed over to the vegan life? Are you getting tired of the same old recipes? Come see how to jazz up your healthy lifestyle with cupcakes! Learn vegan baking techniques with Cups pastry chefs. Hands-on class will prepare batters and frostings for three different vegan cupcakes, bake and decorate. 4 Cups per guest, take-home carriers provided. Suitable for all skill levels. $70. 6-9 pm. Max 24.

June 12 - Ricotta Cheese-making with Cups Chefs Michelle Ciccarelli and Jesus Gonzalez

Learn the easy steps to making wonderful, fresh ricotta cheese, which you can easily do at home, in the demo portion of this class. Then, join in the fun in the hands-on portion in preparing a 4-course meal with the fresh ricotta, including appetizer, salad, fresh ravioli, and Limone Ricotta Cups. Recipes provided. $70. 2:30-5:30 pm. Max 24.

June 17 - Chocolate Art with Cups Pastry Chef Jeff Bonilla

Wake up your inner dessert artist! Learn how to temper chocolate, master chocolate decorating techniques, and prepare an assortment of chocolate sweets, including truffles and cupcakes, and an assortment of chocolate-dipped treats in this part demo/part- hands-on class! Suitable for all skill levels. $50. 6-8pm. Max 30.

June 24 - Gluten-free Cupcake Baking*

Yes you CAN have delectable desserts on a gluten-free diet! Learn gluten-free baking techniques with Cups pastry chefs. Hands-on class will prepare batters and frostings for three different gluten- free cupcakes, bake and decorate. 4 Cups per guest, take-home carriers provided. $70. 6-9 pm. Max 24.

KIDS ONLY CLASSES

June 8, 15, 22, 29 - Fun with Cupcakes

This class is for kids only, age 5 and up, who want to try their hand at cupcake decorating. Frost and sprinkle, pipe buttercream, play with fondant, and dip in chocolate to your heart's content. 4 full size cupcakes per child; take- out boxes provided for kids to bring home their masterpieces. Suitable for any skill level, and so much fun, parents will want to stay and play too! Drinks provided. $30. 12:30-2. Max 30. This class will be offered every Tuesday through the summer.

June 11, 25 - Parent's Night Off - Cupcakes and a Movie

Come and decorate cupcakes while watching a kid-friendly, G-rated movie. Kids-only decorating class, 2 cupcakes per child, with lots of buttercream and sprinkles to experiment with during the movie. Drinks and snacks provided. Kids age 5-9. $25. 6:30- 9pm. Max 30. This class will be offered every other Friday through the summer.

* Hands-on cupcake baking classes will be offered every other Thursday.

TO SIGN UP FOR ALL CLASSES PLEASE CONTACT VANESSA AT:

VANESSA@CUPSLJ.COM OR (619) 609-3082

CUPStory

CUPStory

Cups is the first all organic cupcakery and full-scale teaching kitchen and party room - the whole package under one roof. We are, first and foremost, about making incredibly creative cupcakes to suit all audiences (young and old), palates (simple and sophisticated), and dietary needs (gluten free, vegan, dairy free, and low glycemic index).

Our Cups feature fresh seasonal items, so availability varies throughout the year. In summer we feature our Summer Berry Splash (featuring house-made lemon curd and raspberry syrup - made from raspberries from my garden), Lime-Chile-Mango, and Fig Leap (topped with goat cheese frosting featuring house-made goat cheese), and Raspberry Basil. Late summer we offer Caramel Apple (featuring fresh apple compote). In fall we offer Pumpkin Cardamom and in winter we have Arancia and Minty Wonderland. We just had the best year ever of chmomile in my garden so Chef Jesus came up with the amazing Cozy Cup.

Year-round we serve up a variety of fresh flavors such as Caramelicious (featuring fleur-de-sel caramel center and frosting), Curry Cup (chocolate curry cup topped with chocolate-coconut-curry frosting and curried coconut chips), Cocoa-Ginger (flavored with organic ginger root), Honey Lavender (featuring local organic honey and lavender), Tiramisu (featuring house-made mascarpone and coffee liqueur) among many, many others. Not a week goes by we aren’t creating something new! The most recent addition to our repertoire is the addition of whey (from our cheese-making) to our Cups to give them a little protein boost - who says cupcakes can't be healthy!

Our Gluten-Free Cups include Limone Ricotta (featuring house-made ricotta cheese), and an as-of-yet unnamed creation by Chef Jesus of coconut and cream cheese. Our Vegan Cups come in nearly as many flavors as our standard and would pass even the most skeptical palate. Our Low Glycemic Cups are sweetened with fresh fruits and organic agave syrup.

While we aspire to create a unique dining experience for the cupcake connoisseur, there is so much more to what we do.

Why Organic?

I think the question we are most often asked is “why organic?” We believe our Cups taste better because we use only the freshest, top-quality ingredients – organic and local. We also believe that in today's world, in order to make a difference, companies need to think differently, so we base our food-buying decisions not only on the superior taste and quality of the products we choose, but also on the health and welfare of people, animals and the earth. Eating foods grown or harvested organically isn’t just better for you, because it has no added pesticides and hormones, for example, but also better for all of us, in that less toxins are released in their making. Along the same line, we also pride ourselves on buying locally, so that more of our food dollars go to the ones who produce the foods we use. We do so in order to support our farmers, our community and the earth we all share.

Our Cups feature Giustos organic flours from San Francisco. Our sugars come from Wholesome Sweeteners, an organic and fair trade-certified producer where farmers are paid a premium for their crops. Our organic eggs and produce come from North County’s Chino Valley Farms. Our top quality organic chocolate comes from San Luis Obispo’s Sweet Earth’s Organic. Our butter comes from Organic Valley, a cooperative of family farmers.

Our special Cups Blend Organic Coffee, which will be served in our lounge by our baristas trained in the classical Italian art of espresso-making, is roasted in North Park by Caffe Calabria. We exclusively serve ice cold milk “on tap” from Straus Family Creamery, California’s first certified organic dairy. The only sodas we serve will be made in-house, using naturally filtered and carbonated water and organic fruit-juice blends made in-house and by the mixologists at Snake Oil in La Jolla. Our mochas and chocolate milk feature our own organic chocolate syrup. Our drinks will be sweetened by organic sugar, agave syrup and natural stevia – never by little colored packets.

How big is our footprint?

We worked to achieve a 3 Star Green Restaurant Certification - and we are the only restaurant in the San Diego are to have achieved this level certification, and the only bakery in all of California. We used recycled renewable materials in the design of our lounge. For example, our bar countertop consists of a product that is manufactured using 100% recycled glass, and our walls are covered with environmentally sustainable Richlite and Formica, both of which are made of recycled paper. Our flooring system consists of environmentally friendly stone composite materials. Additionally, we are using a recycled plastic material from a new product line by 3form as a feature design element – which is the first application of its kind in Southern California. We even use recycled glass milk bottles (courtesy of Strauss) for a feature display wall.

Our milk is served in reusable Straus milk bottles. Our to-go cold drink cups and cutlery are made from corn. Our hot drink to-go cups are all made of 100% compostable recycled materials.

Our cleaning products are all environmentally responsible: non-toxic, non-chlorine-based, carcinogen free and packaged in recycled containers.

Origin of Cups

Though I pursued another career path, my love of real food was always paramount - initially I would say a result of the way in which I grew up in Europe. We raised cows, pigs and chickens. We had a little garden patch on the outskirts of town where we grew our own vegetables (as was customary then). And what we didn't gproduce ourselves, we bought at the small, single-item purveyors: bread from the bakery, meat at the butcher, vegetables at the weekend stalls in the center of town. Both of my parents (with differnet ethnic backgrounds) cook - well! My uncle was a baker by trade. At some point I knew I needed to make the transition from home cook to professional one. For years I planned on opening a restaurant, and then (realizing the enormity of such a venture) I started to scale down . . . first, into a deli, featuring both sweets and savories, then even smaller like a coffee shop/patisserie, and then finally all the way down to a single item – the cupcake. This happened concurrently with the cupcake craze taking over the world; I certainly wasn’t at the start of the trend, but I knew I had something to add to the mix, rather than be just another add-on. There were a handful of tasty cupcakeries, but none featuring the local and organic ingredients that I am passionate about.

I spent this past spring in Sonoma, teaching cupcake classes at Relish Culinary and interning at Pugs Leap goat farm (after which our “Fig Leap” Cup is named) to learn the ins-and-outs of goat farming and cheese making - my final training for the premiere of Cups Lounge as a destination, instead of simply a cupcake catering operation as it had been. The experience also persuaded me to include a teaching kitchen in my space, so I could share my passion with others and feature similarly minded chefs as well.

Michelle

Cups Founder