Cups is the first all organic cupcakery, cupcake lounge, 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 palates – young and old, simple and sophisticated – and dietary needs, including gluten free, vegan, dairy free, and low glycemic index.
And 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 toxic chemicals aren’t released in their making. Along the same line, we also pride ourselves on buying locally, in order to support our farmers, our community and the earth.
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 come from North County’s Chino Valley Ranchers. Our top-quality organic chocolate comes from San Luis Obispo’s Sweet Earth’s Organic and Callebaut. Our butter comes from Organic Valley, a cooperatiove 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 fruit-juice blends made in-house and by the mixologists at Snake Oil in La Jolla. Our mochas and chocolate milk are made by 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 achieved a 3-Star Green Restaurant Certification® for our earth-friendly use of sustainable materials during the build-out and our daily operations. We used LEED-certified recycled materials in our lounge; e.g., our bar countertop is made entirely of recycled glass, our walls are covered with environmentally sustainable Richlite.
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 and carcinogen free.
Why Cups?
Though I pursued other career paths, my love of cooking and baking (and of course, eating!) was always paramount. 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, something like the Barefoot Contessa (one of my many inspirations), 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, so I knew I would have to add something to the mix, rather than just be another add-on. And thus, Cups was born.
☺Michelle
