Cupcake, founded by Kristin Kuhlke,
opened its doors in March 2006. Since
then, she and her crew have enjoyed the
spotlight not only of the local press but the likes of USA Today, Budget Travel magazine, Martha Stewart Radio, and the Ellen Degeneres website, which lauded the bakery's Rocky Road cupcake.

Kristin tells her story this way:

"A year, a month, a week and a day.

"That's how this all began. That's the amount of time I lived in New York City. I moved up there looking for an adventure—after 10 years in Charleston, South Carolina—and I found it. I found so much more. I found answers to questions I thought did not have answers. I also found inspiration. I moved back to Charleston to continue my adventure. And then finally it came to me... it was cupcakes! One night over dinner and wine with my best friend, I finally said it out loud. I wanted to open a cupcake bakery. She knew I had something up my sleeve... Cheers!

"This was a brand new idea to the city of Charleston. Most of my friends thought I was crazy. I probably would have agreed! But it was a chance to incorporate a passion of mine—cooking and baking, which had always been just a hobby—with the desire to own and run my own business. I did the research, I read the books. I wanted to do this and I wanted to make it work. Would it be successful? No one could know... but I was ready to see where this would take me!

"Thanks to another good friend, I found a great location, signed a lease, and it was real. And then there was the wisdom and help of many friends and family (literally blood, sweat and tears from my dad, Wild Bill) to get this all off the ground. I baked cupcakes for months and gave them away to friends. Some are family recipes that I have grown up with—the pumpkin cupcakes (my very favorite) are my Aunt Barbara's recipe—while others were tweaked until we came up with something wonderful. A few months later, on March 18, 2006, cupcake opened its doors!

"It has been the experience of a lifetime and I thank everyone for that! Every day I get to wake up and decorate cupcakes, which are like tiny works of art to me. My staff and I work very hard to bring you the very best product we know how to make. We use only the best ingredients and buy organic when we can. All recipes are made from scratch, and with over 30 flavors to choose from there's something for everyone! They bring smiles to people's faces each and every day, which brings a smile to my heart! If there's one thing I learned in New York City, it's that the Lowcountry of Charleston, South Carolina is my home! I am blessed to be here, to be able to support my community, which in turn supports me.

"Life truly is sweet!"