Washington DC Cupcake Adventure!!!

The joys of my job!

Heck, someone has to do it!!!

On Sunday, we drove to Washington DC and now I’m back….exhausted. 22 hours of driving!! (well, me being the passenger and brilliant co-pilot). We got home at 1am last night and oh my goodness, it was worth it!

The cupcakes, the people, the scenery…Washington DC is stunningly beautiful, tons of fresh air and friendly people!! What I found really remarkable were the amount of trees in this town.

Our only problem on the way down was driving across the border with my “Weapon of Massive Health”….a Raw Collard Wrap!!

Dangerous veggies!

It freaked the border police so much in fact, we were sent to the Homeland Security Building to get our car searched. As crazy as it sounds, it is the truth and to be honest, the border guard wasn’t too nice about it. I did get to keep my healthy green wrap, all the while pleading my case that I only eat fresh ORGANIC REAL veggies (and nothing else) and that McDonald’s at the rest stops along the highway were not an option for us.

Back to business… As many of you may know by now, we have secured a new location for our bakery at 401 Brant St in downtown Burlington, ON. And we are soooo excited. (what an understatement!!!!!).

Could this be any cuter??!! This is a Historical Century building begging to be a cupcakery!! Don’t you think?

To pull this off to the best of our ability, with the help of a design team, we decided to further scope the best of the best bakeries and cupcakeries to develop our brand and help us with details big or small.

Of course the two BIG players on our list of places to see was Sprinkles and Georgetown Cupcake. We already visited Sprinkles in Beverly Hills, CA in March (our West Coast Cupcake Adventure) and now we were off to see Georgetown Cupcake along with other ones….especially one close to my heart and ideally, what I believe in (Vegan, Healthy food) and that would be none other than Sticky Fingers Bakery in Washington DC. Yes, Doron Petersan’s Sticky Fingers Sweets and Eats….she is the BEAUTIFUL baker that won Cupcake Wars this year for a 2012 episode!!!

First up: Georgetown Cupcakes!

Yes….I waited in line!! My daughter, Erinn, would never believe it so here is the proof!

enjoying the sights and the crazy people (including me) waiting patiently for CUPCAKES!

Very professional packaging.

My ‘treasure’ to take home…a dozen cupcakes and only one of them (vegan) I can sample.

Packing hundreds of boxes all day long (literally) at Georgetown Cupcake

more chaos at Georgetown….

My Vegan “LOVE” Bakery and also our place for breakfast and lunch while in D.C.: Sticky Fingers! This is the place to go for VEGAN Chai Lattes, Cappuccinos and Breakfast Sandwiches….and of course CUPCAKES!! Don’t miss it in Washington!! Doron is the winner of Cupcake Wars this year and has really made a HUGE name for herself (AND… she’s done a book too!). You can order her FABULOUS baking book here. This cookbook has all her recipes that have made her famous.

Sticky Fingers Bakery Washington D.C.

The beautiful, Doron Petersan (owner of Sticky Fingers) and ME!

Sticky Fingers Bakery – gorgeous lineup of goodies.

Sticky Fingers’ Red Velvet and Pina Colada.

‘Grilled Cheeze’ with Daiya and Onions, Tomatoes and Temeph Bacon.

Sticky Fingers’ Cinnamon Buns – vegan style.

Our 4 pack for the road back home (we actually did two 4 packs!)

Arrival in Philedelphia….about an hour and half northeast of Washington DC. We came here to visit Sweet Freedom Bakery. This is the place to go to for dairy, egg, peanut, refined-sugar, soy, wheat, gluten allergies and for Kosher goodies too. Hidden away off the main drag in Philedelphia, it is the ‘go-to’ healthy place for delicious goodies.

Philedelphia’s Sweet Freedom Bakery

All the allergies they look after…..

A cute, cozy place full of allergy-friendly baked goods.

Vegan and Gluten Free, Soy-Free, Refined Sugar Free & Kosher

On to the next: Bethlehem PA!!! Here we come! Vegan Treats!! OMG. This is the bakery that put richness and delectableness on the map. I can’t say they’re totally ‘good‘ for you but I can say they are very delicious! ….and animal-friendly too.

This is the FAMOUS “Vegan Treats” in Bethlehem PA

Rich and sweetly, ‘over the top’ desserts 100% Animal Friendly

Vegan Treats = Too many treats to choose from!

We actually had a couple of hours to enjoy ourselves away from the cupcakes and sweet stuff and have dinner on a patio….sunny, warm and just perfect.

Strolling in Washington DC (98F with the humidex)

Back HOME!! This was the selection back home at LettuceLove Cafe this morning…..”Bellyache Central”. We arrived at 8am today and made a carbohydrate festival for all staff to sample. I’m proud of myself and nibbled on nothing. I think I was still exhausted from being in a car so long. I guess we nibbled too much in the car too!! I’m sure that was it. All I wanted was a GREEN SMOOTHIE to get back on track!! Help.

Back home at LettuceLove Cafe today with all our samples!!!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter and…..omg. VEGAN.

Funny Erinn…..you look like a……a BIRD!

Poor Mike can’t say no to good food. I have no idea why he doesn’t weigh more. This was Vegan Treats Cinnamon Bun- Cream Cheeze Frosting.

Vegan Brownies and Cheezecake.

I had a fantastic time in Washington D.C. and driving home back through Philedelphia and Bethlehem PA. I think we’ve moved closer to the idea of what this new bakery concept should look like and also, what it should taste like. I’m moving closer to the feeling I want everyone to have when they waltz through the door of our new bakery and to be able to leave with a smile on their face…..Healthier, beautiful, inspiring goodies……To be catapulted back through time to connect to a younger us. I think we ALL have that deeply rooted inside our very being, don’t you? I personally can’t wait.