Tucked into a little shop along Lake Anne in Reston, Virginia, sits a hidden treasure of a cupcake shop, which has some of the most interesting, yet perfectly done, confectionary delights.  Nefertiti “The CupCake Ladi” runs the cupcakery, and has been baking for years, but did not open her storefront until February 11, 2011 (after a soft opening on February 5, 2011).  She has spent her life as a gourmet chef, and also baking treats and passing them out to people, just to brighten their day.  When she and her husband arrived in the area in June of 2005, they lived in a hotel, where she baked Italian cookies and confections, and would give them out to people.  “The CupCake Ladi” spent $25k working on promotions for someone else from 2006 until March of 2009, when she decided to start her own business.  As she says, “I wanted to bring smiles to people faces.  For me it is all about you. You’re happi, I smile from within.”

She has baked petit fours and given them to tollbooth operators, baked cupcakes for her hairdressers and waiters, and would carry between 40 and 50 cupcakes around to give out, and was even known as “The CupCake Ladi” even before she opened the store.  Now that she has the store (located at 11412 W. Washington Plaza in Reston) and TheCupCakeLadi.com (where you can order and ship across the country), she continues to brighten the day of anyone she encounters.  On the day of our interview, we sat at a table outside of the shop, and passersby would stop and chat, asking how she was, and raving about the cupcakes they tried.

When you purchase the cupcakes and other items from the shop, you are not only treating yourself, but are also helping a charity.  As a youth, she would hide candy in the hem of her Catholic School skirt, and bring it to school to share with the other children.  She watched her grandmother sponsor children in Africa and knew she wanted to help the world, too.  For this reason, “The CupCake Ladi” takes some of the earnings from each cupcake sold for different charities.  Twenty-five percent of the proceeds from her signature cupcake, “Nefertiti’s Zesti Kei-Lime CupCake (key lime zest and juice cakes filled with Kei-Lime Zesti Cream Cheese and topped with the cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs)” are donated to World Vision.  Thus far, she has been able to sponsor three children with the proceeds.  “The CupCake Ladi” donates 20% of the profits from “Jaimie’s Jimmi Jamboree (vanilla bean cake filled and layered with dark chocolate ganache)” to the French Bulldog Rescue Network and 20% of the profits from “Mint Chocolate Sandwich Treenie Cake (mint chocolate cake filled and topped with mint cookies and cream cheese and crushed mint chocolate sandwich cookies)” to The Friends of Randolph Pound.  She created “The ‘Courage’ CupCake” in honor of a German Shepherd named Courage who was found abused and rescued by The German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County.  Twenty percent of the proceeds from the “The ‘Courage’ CupCake” go to the rescue agency to rehabilitate dogs like Courage and help them find new owners who will love them as much as they deserve.  Other charities she donates to are the Middleburg Humane Foundation, Mautner Gala, Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, GoodDogz.org, Courage for Kids, and Hope 4 Paws.

Currently, “The CupCake Ladi” has 36 flavors (each named after a person), including “Nani Lucia’s Old Fashion Apple Pie Cake (apple spice cake filled with cinnamon apples, topped with Vanilla Bean Honey cream cheese, cinnamon sugar, and caramel drizzle)”, “This Ain’t Your Momma’s Peanut Butter & Jelli (vanilla bean and dark chocolate cake filled with strawberry puree, topped with Nani Lucia’s secret Peanut Butter Crème and strawberry puree)”, “Tommi Lovs Mi Mores Smores (milk chocolate cake filled and topped with marshmallow cream, milk chocolate, hot fudge, graham crackers, and dark chocolate)”, and “Boons Philli Pretzel Crust Sea-Salt Caramel (milk chocolate pretzel crust cakes filled and topped with sea salt caramel and toasted pecans)”, which is named after my dad.  Even Howard Bernstein, WUSA9 Meteorologist, has a cupcake named after him – “HB’s Bernstein’s Chocolate Enclave (devil’s food cake filled with chocolate ganache and topped with chocolate ganache and chocolate cream cheese).”  The cupcakes range in size from 1carat (bite-sized) to 3carat (normal sized) to 7carat (gigantor).  Each cupcake is filled, so they seem to weigh about two pounds apiece, are made from only certified-organic and all-natural ingredients (including 1% milk and other low-fat ingredients when available, so they are technically good for you), and are exceptionally priced.  “The CupCake Ladi” also bakes 97% organic cookies she calls “Organic Chocolate Decadence”, which are a mixture of flaxseed, oatmeal, cacao chocolate chunks, various nuts (almonds, peanuts, pistachios, or cashews), pretzels, white or pure chocolate vermicelli, chocolate covered raisins, chocolate cookie crumbs, and potato chips, and then drenched FOUR TIMES in milk and dark Belgian chocolate.  Consider this to be a super energy bar… a super delicious energy bar, which actually provides sustenance, and is DRENCHED FOUR TIMES IN CHOCOLATE.  Fun fact: she was approached to be on Cupcake Wars, but had to decline since her assistant had to head back overseas.

Nefertiti “The CupCake Ladi” plans to expand the store in the near future, to include selling Illy Coffee, organic dog treats, and organic gelato in pistachio, vanilla, and three other flavors.  The expanded store will also have a commercial kitchen (currently, the cupcakes are baked off-site), will be designed using eco-friendly glass countertops and stainless steel, and will use energy-efficient appliances and practices as allowed.

Even if you don’t live in Reston, the cupcakes and Organic Chocolate Decadence cookies are worth the trip.  The coffee and gelato will be, as well, and I’m sure your four-legged friend would love some of her organic dog treats.  “The CupCake Ladi” is truly one of the most interesting, genuine, and most kind people I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting.  Her cupcakes provide multi-purpose happiness: your stomach is happy you’re eating, she is happy to see you happy, and charities benefit from the cupcake profits.  It’s win-win-win.

-JDS