Cupcake Wars Chicago Style

When I was a kid, cupcakes were a staple of school birthday parties. For my birthday, my mom would bake just enough cupcakes for my entire class, including one for the teacher. Today, cupcakes have gone upscale. Bakeries specializing in cupcakes have sprung up everywhere in the last five years. And Chicago is doing its best to contribute to the craze. A simple Google search with the keywords “cupcakes Chicago” will confirm this.

Today's cupcakes have gone upscale.

Cupcakes are now replacing cakes at weddings. Less expensive than traditional wedding cakes, newlyweds serving cupcakes can avoid paying a cake-cutting fee—$1 apiece or more—which many caterers charge. Anyone planning a wedding today knows that those costs can add up.But what I find most intriguing are the companies selling cupcakes out of vans around the city.

The Flirty Cupcakes van is a common sight around Chicago.

First there was Flirty Cupcakes, but now others have gotten into the act. The drill is the same: you follow them on Twitter and/or Facebook to find out when they’ll be in front of your home or office. And like a kid chasing after the ice cream truck, you’re outside waiting for your Curious George cupcake.

Sweet Miss Givings sales support Chicago House.

Mintel, a market-research firm with offices in Chicago, predicted that cupcakes would be the fastest-growing part of the baked-goods industry between 2008 and 2013. Part of the reason for this growth is attributed to the recession. A cupcake only costs a few dollars as opposed to a cake from a bakery that can cost more than $20. For many, a freshly baked cupcake is a luxury they can afford, making cupcake sales recession-proof.

The More cupcake van may be the coolest in the city.

Have you purchased cupcakes from one of the several mobile cupcake trucks in the city? Are you following any of them on Twitter or Facebook? Let me know which cupcake bakery—mobile or stationary—you think is best.

Around the South Loop: 2011 Volume 5: The Big Thaw

It may have hit 60 degrees today, but the wind made it feel a little cooler than that. In spite of the wind, it still felt like spring. With the thaw came the puddles in the streets and on the sidewalks; if there was ever a day to wear rubbers on your shoes, today was that day. I enjoyed the warmer weather today by traveling around the city.

All I need to know I learned from the CTA.

Out with the old: getting ready for the new restaurant to replace Opera?

These Gery Chico signs didn't stay up very long, but I have the proof they existed.

Flirty Cupcakes was out and about; when this photo was taken, they were at Lake and Wells.

A lot of snow is melting in the South Loop.