Today I stopped by the new cake shop Sugar Fancies, the newest tenant in the 12th & 6th Arts District in Little Havana -- at 543 SW 12th Ave.
The front doors were locked and the blinds were drawn, but I knocked just in case. After all, a cake shop simply MUST be open on Valentine's Day!
Owner Sandy Rios-Monsant opened the door.
"Oh sorry," she said, letting me in. "We don't officially open until 3 pm."
At a little after 10 am, the display cases were empty. But it was fine. Despite the busy day that faced her, Sandy let me ask a few questions as I admired the elegant oasis she had created at the corner of 12th Ave and 6th Street, just across from a family-owned taco stand (on 12th) and a Salvadorean place renowned for its baleadas (on 6th).
She had started her business in Kendall as an order-only operation, selling celebration cakes and wedding cakes, but with her new retail location in Little Havana will be able to sell cupcakes, coffees, shakes and cookies, too. "We're going to have espressos, cappuccinos, lattes," she explained, "and gourmet smoothies, too, using fresh tropical fruits mixed with flavors like white chocolate."
Tropical fruits like mamey and guava are also among the flavors of her cakes, some of which are constructed to resemble purses and other fashion accessories -- down to the last detail.
"We call it edible art," said Sandy. "I love fashion, so the names of my cakes are inspired by fashion designers: Christian Di-oreo, Hermes Velvet ..."
Sandy is young, in her twenties it seems. Her long dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and this morning she wore just a bit of eyeliner for makeup. She told me later that she is of Peruvian heritage.
She emphasized that she develops her own recipes and uses high quality ingredients. "I make my frosting every day using 100% real, quality butter. Other cupcake makers don't do that," she noted.
On my way in, I'd noticed a tall bouquet of fresh flowers standing sentry on one of the tables facing the shop's large glass windows. On a nearby loveseat, a rose-colored silk pillow added to the inviting ambience of the clean, airy, open space.
I asked her why she chose Little Havana for a shop appealing to upscale clientele. "It's a neglected area, and it has so much to offer," she answered. "It has so much history. We're Hispanic. This is where we come from. This place can be cool and urban and it represents who we are." The conviction in her voice was unmistakeable.
She continued: "I like the element of surprise, and that what you get when you walk in here, you're like, 'Oh my God, this is Little Havana?' I can't believe it!' It's important to discover new places, to get out of your norm. I want people to discover us ... like a treasure they didn't expect."
She mentions that some guy walked in yesterday and said, "Wow, this place is like a diamond in the rough."
"I said, 'no, this is not a diamond in the rough! It's NICE outside. You can sit here, grab a coffee and when my window shade is open you can sit here and I guarantee you: you will not be bored. It's not like you're in Starbucks ... you will be entertained. There is never a boring day in this neighborhood. I'm not kidding! If I'm bored I just look out the window ... it's hilarious and it's part of the neighborhood, it's charming, and it's what a city is all about.
"When you go to New York," she continued, "you'd be surprised -- it doesn't look pretty on the outside, you see the meat market, it looks rough, it doesn't look pretty, but then you walk into a beautiful five-star restaurant, and stores, and artist studios, and it's ok because it's New York but why can't it be here, too? We can have the element of surprise, too. So what if I'm across the street from a check cashing store. That makes it even cooler. You can cash a check AND eat a cupcake!" We both laugh.
Before I leave, I stop in and say hello to ceramicist Carlos Alves and his partner, JC Carroll, as they eat lunch in their studio, which is part of the same building as Sugar Fancies. They had spent hours cleaning out the front of their studio to make it more of a gallery space, part of their preparation for the opening, on Friday, of a new arts exhibition space in the 12th & 6th Arts District. Sandy will also be staying open late for the opening (I'll write more about this soon).
Read more about the 12th & 6th Arts District.
A Birthday Celebrated at El Cristo
After my Sugar Fancies visit, I decided to stop by El Cristo, an excellent local Cuban restaurant, to take photos for the banner ad they had recently purchased (for my site, LittleHavanaGuide.com). Two bouquets had been dropped off on the counter, and the servers were busy putting red roses in vases and adding to the Valentine's Day decor. All wore clothing with a red or pink hue.
As I was speaking to the owner, Jose, one of the local tour guides burst in the door, wearing a crisp shirt the color of a fire engine. He had brought folks to the restaurant for a bite to eat.
"Happy ber-tay to you, happy ber-tay to you!" The waiters walked in with an arroz con leche topped with whipped cream, a cherry and a lit candle, and presented it to the tour guide. All of us sitting at the restaurant's counter joined in the singing, most with Spanish accents. We laughed and joked with the tour guide, guessing his age.
Soon I was on my way to visit Azucar Ice Cream to take photos of their Valentine's Day treats.
Emergency at Azucar!
The situation was bad, especially for an ice cream shop on one of its bigger sales days of the year.
The freezer had stopped working sometime early in the morning -- they weren't sure why, and poor Suzy (the owner) had a look of panic in her eyes as her employee Alex tried the various switches from the circuit breaker, checking to see if it would turn back on.
"Let me call an electrician," I said, calling one I knew who worked nearby. He couldn't make it but would send one over. Meanwhile, a couple of us started transferring the ice cream pints from the freezer into coolers with dry ice. Calm, cool, collected!
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| Alex and the Joel (who sells coco frio) work on fixing the outlet themselves |
"Let's use cardboard ... it will slide easier that way," I suggested. The cardboard helped, and by now Alex had nabbed the guy who sells coco frio around the corner so we could add a little muscle to our effort.
"We need a dolly," I said. "I'll find one."
The waitresses at El Exquisito across the street said they didn't have one, so I decided to try Cuba Tobacco Cigar Company nearby -- and sure enough, they had one to lend. Peter handed me the big green dolly and I'm sure I looked like a crazy tourist dashing across Calle Ocho with a dolly, a big camera around my neck and my purse ...
By the time we had pulled the freezer from the wall I'd received a text: the person who was buying my old laptop was almost at my apartment. I had to leave. I lived just five minutes away, so I made it back in time.
Back to Sugar Fancies
"I'm still not quite open yet," said Sandy, who explained that she'd been rushing to fill orders all day.
In walked Antonio del Moral, owner of Adelmo Gallery just a couple doors away, and he ordered a dozen of her delectable cupcakes. I ordered a half dozen, took a photo with my iPhone and tweeted it, then recommended that she work out a deal with Suzy at Azucar so she could sell her cupcakes there, too.
Now it was time to check on Suzy. They were managing. The pints were safe in several coolers on the floor. But the credit card machine wasn't working. And the freezer was still standing on its own, unplugged. The freezer repairman was working on the electrical outlet.
Why today? Why today?
The customers didn't seem to care, though. Three of us tasted a new flavor made from vanilla ice cream and crushed organic rose petals. Nothing less than an aphrodisiac, I exclaimed! I ordered a pint. It's called Zapaticos de Rosa.
The other Limited Edition flavors for Valentine's Day? Mi Bon Bon (chocolate ice cream with cherries), Red Hot Lover (banana ice cream with cinnamon red hots), Besitos (vanilla or chocolate ice cream with pink merengues) and the sinful 9 1/2 Caramels (vanilla ice cream with Godiva chocolate caramels and a ribbon of salted caramel). Oooooh yeah. Now this is AMOR, expressed Little Havana style!
I write about Azucar Ice Cream in more detail in this article.
I told the two other customers (both Little Havana residents) about Sugar Fancies, and they were happy to hear of the new shop. But now it was time to go home. To write.
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