Updates!

Hey all!

Just a few updates for now...we finally have our beautiful flyers and our first catered event in Costa Mesa was a success!

Check these babies out!




We had our flyers printed at Minuteman Press of Rancho Cucamonga and they did an incredible job! We are so pleased with the way they came out. We will definitely be going to them for any future printing needs. In case you haven't seen them already, here is the sample menu we had printed on the back. It gives our clients an idea of the cupcake and cocktail pairing choices they have for their special event. This is just one example. We customize to each persons individual tastes in dessert and drink.

We couldnt be more happy with the design. We went in with a clear idea in mind of what we wanted the flyer to look like and the guys at MMP facilitated it beautifully. Pros I tell ya!

Our first catered event was a success! 600 pieces were delivered to Avenue of the Arts, a premium apartment complex in Costa Mesa. They were having an open house and it happen to fall on the weekend of Halloween. We set up our Halloween themed cupcake display around 4 pm with the event starting at 5. There were residents already walking through the doors before we could finish setting up which meant the cupcakes were flying off the display. The questions were endless on where the cupcakes could be purchased individually or in packages. We couldn't get our info out fast enough! Luckily we had our amazing flyers on hand and were able to pass out as many as we could with our info. All the hard work and stress that goes into production for an event like this really pays off when you see the gleaming faces of satisfaction and hear comments from those interested in our company.

FYI, our cupcakes will be featured at local farmers markets in the near future. Chino Hills to start! More info to come.

New things on the horrizon!

Hey all!

Just a quick update on whats been going on with Cupcakes and Cocktails! We have a couple of gigs lined up that we are super excited about! In the first week of October, we participated in a silent auction designed to raise money for Breast Cancer! Since this is the month for Breast Cancer Awareness and we believe in giving back to our community as well as supporting our women we contributed! We had a fantastic bid and will be hosting a fabulous party for 8 people in the coming months in support of this worthy cause! Thank you to Harlot Salon in Venice Beach CA! You guys know how to throw a great party!

We are also catering a Halloween Themed party in spirit of the holiday at the end of the month! We absolutely love this holiday and will be offering our tricks and treats in the form of delicious cupcakes...all Halloween candy inspired.

On the menu for this very special event will be:

Twix or Treat Cupcakes

Candy Cornocopia Cupcake

Spooky Snickers Cupcake

Magical Milky Way Cupcake

CA > EURO > CA

Hey everyone! Cupcakes and Cocktails is back from our European adventures. We're inspired and rejuvenated. What a trip it was too...we took our taste buds from Vienna, Austria to Prague, Czech Rep to Munich, Germany to Berlin, Germany ending in Copenhagen, Denmark.

We started our journey in Vienna, Austria. Ottakringer Beer was our drink of choice. It is Viennas oldest domestic beer to date and you can find it pretty much anywhere in the city. Naturally, we enjoyed its deliciously crisp and refreshing taste, indulging ourselves at the Roncalli Circus that was set up infront of Rathaus, Viennas Town Hall. While Katie was checking out a Freud museum, I wandered around the corner looking for an ATM and discovered a Cupcake Shop called Cupcake Manufaktur. Our first cupcake sighting! It was exactly what I expected it to look like...a quaint little shop, Parisian inspired with nicely executed wedding cakes adorning the windows. Unfortunately, it was closed. I could see that on their menu, they offered Sachertorte cupcakes, a very old and very famous Viennese culinary specialty.

Katie and I both agree that Prague was one of the most magical cities that we have ever been to. Absinthe is still popular and as you wander the streets of this very old mid evil city, you shouldn't be surprised if you find yourself stumbling into an Absinthe bar. You can order different types of Absinthe and have it prepared for you in various ways. Some of the bars offer cocktails made with the liquor that have clever names attached to them and others only offer it one way...the traditional way. The shot of liquor is poured into a glass. Balancing over the glass is a spoon with an Absinthe soaked cube of sugar. The bartender lights the cube of sugar on fire letting the caramelized sugar drip into the liquor infusing it with a delicious hint of caramel. It doesn't mask the strength of the Absinthe though. I think no matter how experienced a drinker you are, its gonna be hard to stomach Absinthe. I was able to pick up some Absinthe Chocolate which will be pretty awesome incorporated in a cupcake recipe or even one of our cocktails. In this picture of the Pink Lady cocktail, you can see Absinthe chocolate drizzled over the strawberries as a garnish.

Our experience in Germany could almost use its own post on our blog given that our time spent there was focused on Oktoberfest! Lowenbrau and Hofbrau lagers are two of the numerous lagers we drank. And for desert, which, to be honest wasn't as important as the beer, I did manage to try some nougat and brittle, as well as toasted and candied nuts. All very delicious!

Our trip ended in Copenhagen, Denmark. Surprisingly, the last point on during our trip is where I had my first European Cupcake. It was in a bakery called Lagkagehuset. This bakery is basically what Portos is to Southern California. They have an off site bakery that outsources all its goodies to their 12 locations throughout Copenhagen. It takes a baker 10 minutes to walk from one side of this massive space to the other. Pretty impressive! Their danishes were to die for; especially the ones with a glob of pastry cream in the center. So with danishes, bear claws, croissants and sweet rolls down, I couldn't wait to try their cupcakes. I went straight for the double chocolate. It was delicious...ridiculously satisfying. The cake is dense and rich and overloaded with mini chocolate chips. The chips, somehow, were layered between the surface of the cupcake and the icing. The icing was a whipped dark chocolate ganache. I'd literally hop back on a plane and fly the 13 hours back to Copenhagen for one of these babies.













As for drinks, we visited the Carlsberg Brewery, responsible for Copenhagens most famous beer brand. Katies first beer ever!... and one of her all time favorites is Carlsberg. Carlsberg is a delicious lager/pilsner with hints of citrus. The brewery also makes Tuborg and Jacobsen beers. My favorite is the Jacobsen Saaz Blond...light and sweet.Its surreal to be back home, not spending each day wandering and exploring the streets of a foreign city but at the same time I'm excited to use what I've learned in our menus and to experiment with new products discovered. Here is a pairing inspired by this trip:

Green Fairy Creme de Menth cocktail paired with a Citric Absinthe chocolate cupcake.

Any tasters!?

Mission: CnC Catering extraordinars

This blogspot is our voice at the moment though we plan to have an amazing website up an running within the next few months. For now, our loyal followers, you can read everything about us here! You can read things like our Mission Statement! It is as follows:

Our mission at Cupcakes and Cocktails Catering LLC is to bring you, our valued customer, an experience you (nor your wedding party attendees) will never forget! We are going to give you a couture service by bringing you a childhood memory shaken (not stirred) with an adult favorite then sprinkled with good humor and pure entertainment for your viewing pleasure! Your cupcakes and cocktails will be made using the freshest of ingredients brought to you from local farmers and vendors. We will create a custom experience at your wedding that will set you apart from all other weddings by creating these sweet treats right before your very eyes! We want you to feel as though you are part of the A-list with A-Cups Cupcakes and Couture Cocktails and that your guests are well taken care of. Our goal is to show you that you may have unwavering trust in us to take care of your every wedding cake and liquor need. We want your decision on this matter to be an easy one for we understand how stressful planning a wedding can be. Our simple and easy to understand package deals will make the process of picking the level of service you want a breeze. The importance of creating a lasting relationship with you, our valued customer is important to us and we want you to feel as though we are here to take care of your every catering need.


We hope you enjoyed reading our Mission Statement as much as we enjoyed writing it! Stay tuned for more posts...coming to you the 12th and 26th of every month

Much love,
Alexis

Let us introduce ourselves

Earlier today, I was thinking about the CnC blog while in the kitchen creating new cupcake recipes...and it dawned on me that we never properly introduced ourselves! We are Katie Dinovo and myself, Alexis Sturgeon. We both reside in the Chino and Chino Hills area of beautiful Southern California. Between the two of us, we have 15 years experience in the food and hospitality business.

Katie is a bad ass bartender and aspiring mixologist. She currently works managing a bar that would remind everyone of that show Cheers. Everyone really does know each others names and we have a lot of fun there. Needless to say she is quite knowledgeable in the bar business. Katie and I recently went to the Library Bar located at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood and marveled at the gorgeous set up. Baskets of fresh berries, herbs, spices and edible flowers lined the bar. In front of them sat us, licking our lips and desiring fantastic cocktails. On the other side stood our bartender ready to concoct any dream drink we could come up with. We love this place....it is exactly what we will be bringing to the events we cater. Fresh produce and endless options that are made with a dash of heart and pinch of soul.

As for myself, I have been working in the industry specializing in Cakes and Cupcakes. I LOVE making all kinds of desserts and then pawning them off on my friends to try. It is my passion (I don't really pawn them off hah). Cakes and Cupcakes have been my specialty since graduating from culinary school. It was the reason I changed directions in my career and aspired to be a pastry chef. Cakes are wonderful art pieces and cupcakes are even sweeter. I worked for Rosebud Cakes, THE leading cake studio in Beverly Hills for a number of years and learned from the best on how to create a memorable showpiece. Later in my career I lead the great baking team of Casey's Cupcakes in Riverside California as Production Manager and Lead Baker. While at Casey's, I appeared on Cupcake Wars, The 50th Anniversary of the Walk of Fame episode..and oh hey...WE WON!

That pretty much brings you up to speed with myself and my fantastic business partner Katie! We have learned from the best and are taking this knowledge, passion and talent on the road! We cant wait for our first event...seriously....we CAN NOT WAIT!

Much love,
Alexis

Cupcakes and Cocktails: Americas best kept secret

The marriage between these two delightfully enjoyable items is going to be epic. We are really hitting the ground running with our Cupcakes and Cocktails. We have a great menu that we will be testing out this week as well as a few potential clients who are already interested in having us at their next event! We are super excited for all that is going to come during our first year of business!

Here is a little sample of what we plan on bringing to the table:

Cherry Strawberry Fresco Cupcake - Strawberry cake filled with a dark cherries and cream marinade then topped with creme fraiche, strawberry chips and drizzled with a black cherry compote

Drink pairing - Strawberry Fields: Bombay gin shaken with creme de fraise, a squeeze of fresh mandarin and lemon juice, topped with egg white foam