One glimpse into Mariana Cortez's sweet emporium, and it's no wonder why the locals can't stay away. Nestled on a busy street in Wynwood, Bunnie Cakes is more than just a bakery- it's a love story pioneered by one mom's personal quest to create a dairy free alternative for her children. Never one to let rejection define her, Mariana never gave up. She followed her passion and her heart, and in 2009, Bunnie Cakes was born.
It's
almost impossible to have just one of their delectable cupcakes. These bite
size treats that range in selection from guava to passion fruit, are an
explosion of flavor in your mouth. And vegans rejoice! Bunnie Cakes offers
gluten free versions of their sugary delicacies.
In
my first foodie inspired Style Spotlight, Freshly Squeezed Fashionista goes
straight to the sweet source to get the scoop on a neighborhood favorite.
FSF:
I love the story behind the shop! Why did you decide to take this leap of
faith?
BC: My
oldest son Luke was 18 months and he was not talking. He had a speech delay and
I started researching about diets that would help him develop his speech. I
came across the Gluten Free Casein Free Diet. Luke had an allergy to dairy
since birth, but I didn't know much about anything gluten free. When I started
searching for places to make the cake (gluten free and dairy
free) for him, nobody at the time knew what I was talking about. I knew
there was a necessity in having a local bakery/baker that could provide this.
So I called my grandmother and she gave me some cake recipes that I transformed
into vegan and/or gluten free recipes. I went online and looked for a domain and
www.bunniecakes.com
was available (I don't know how I came up with that name but I thought it
sounded cute). I created my own website on my laptop and took a couple of
pictures of the cupcakes I was baking. I had a full time job at the time, but
during lunch hours I would go to restaurants with samples of my mini cupcakes
to see if they were interested in selling them. I found a couple of restaurants
that were interested. I used to bake at night after work until 2-3 in the
morning. After a couple of months I decided to quit my job and I started full
time out of my apartment. It was really scary because I had an 18 month old and
a newborn and my husband, at the time, was unemployed. But I always
believed in my product, eventually I had more than 10 restaurants to supply
weekly. I used to bake, decorate, deliver, make the invoices, answer the phones
and emails, and take care of my two sons. I got pregnant with my third child and
I thought I was going to have to stop, but I never did. The same day that I delivered
Amelie, my third child, I baked and decorated more than 200 cupcakes with my
mom. Eventually production grew so much that I had to hire an assistant
and another person to make the deliveries. Online, I met another amazing
business owner that offered to share her warehouse and kitchen space with me. I
moved to a warehouse in Little Haiti and from there we delivered to all our
retailers. But I always knew that I had to have a storefront because it
was difficult to find what I was creating, and I wanted to make it accessible
to everyone. From that point, I started looking for investors, lenders,
etc. It was such a long process but I was a pioneer in Miami for these
pastries. The risk I was taking was so elevated and I was an eternal dreamer in
everyone's eyes. I had so many disappointments, and so many people
turning me down, so many people telling me over and over again that "I was
a dreamer and dreamers don't get any loans." I never gave up though.
I got all the money I needed in loans to open my storefront, but it was so
difficult. I filed for divorce because not even my husband understood or
believed in me. The store was opened February of last year, and we have
had amazing responses from everyone. I couldn't be happier. Our
projections were tripled in just one year.
 |
| Bunnie Cakes' tiniest pastry chefs. |
FSF:
And it's such a great addition to the booming neighborhood of Wynwood. Why did
you decide on this location?
BC:
I live very close to Wynwood. I was driving around and saw a big "for
rent" sign so called and they came and showed me the space. There was
nothing inside and the neighborhood was still full of homeless people and
prostitutes, but even though everybody thought I was crazy, I always believed
in Wynwood as the place we wanted to start our business
BC:
They like to help in the kitchen. Sometimes they help at the store or I make
them do certain things so they feel like they're helping.
FSF:
There's an endless selection of yummy cupcakes and desserts- chocolate chip,
dulce de leche, red velvet- how do you come up with the flavors?
BC:
I like to incorporate flavors that I grew up with. I love passion fruit
because it reminds me of my childhood in Venezuela and how my
grandmother's "manjar de parchita" (passion fruit gelee), so I
created a passion fruit cupcake. It reminds me of her. I also created our corn
and arugula cupcake also inspired by my grandmother's "torta de
jojoto" ( corn cake with fresh corn). It reminds me of the flavors of my
grandmother's kitchen. Almost every flavor is a memory from my childhood
and my grandmother's desserts.
FSF:
what makes your shop even more desirable is that you offer gluten free
desserts and many people nowadays are choosing a gluten free lifestyle.
Why did you decide to offer? Do you have a lot of customers asking for gluten
free?
BC:
Yes I do have a lot of customers with gluten sensibilities or that they prefer
to eat this way. I offer almost all the items we have in the gluten free/vegan
version. We have gluten free/vegan cupcakes, cakes, brownies, cookies,
empanadas, cheese balls, whoopie pies, gelato in gluten free cones, milkshakes,
and our lunch menu sandwiches can be prepared with gluten free/ vegan
bread.
FSF:
If you could only eat one dessert from your shop for the rest of your life,
what would you choose?
BC:
That is such a difficult question! But my favorite flavors are cinnamon sugar,
passion fruit, guava, banana chocolate chip, and our new "sin tres
leches" which is our version of the popular Latin dessert, " tres
leches."
FSF:
When you hear all the customer feedback and read the reviews and praise, does
it get old? Is it still a fairytale for you?
BC: I am so grateful. Everyday I meet different people at the store that I
can help, that I can relate to, that are me five years ago when I was looking
for a cake for Luke. It makes me happy to be able help people, to have someone
eat their first cupcake in front of me and I get to look at their smile. It
never gets old. I'm so grateful each time a customer tells me they enjoy our
products. That is the reason why I work so hard everyday.
FSF:
Any plans to expand to other locations?
BC:
Yes we plan to open a new location in the very very near future.
Bunnie
Cakes
2322 NE 2nd Ave
Miami,
Florida 33137
(786) 268-9790
Email: mari@bunniecakes.com
Website: www.bunniecakes.com
In Style,
Kat
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