by Ana Marie Aguas and Sara Ortega
When the SacFoodies found out that local bakery, TreyBCakes was competing in the Food Network’s tastiest food competition, Cupcake Wars, we were thrilled for the chance to sample their nationally recognized cupcakes!
On last night’s episode titled “Aloha Cupcakes,” Jenni & Stacy of TreyBCakes, competed for a chance to serve their cupcakes at the Hawaii Food and Wine Festival in Oahu. Jenni and Stacy weren’t chosen as the winners, but really demonstrated their talented culinary skills by putting forth quite the cupcake: Pineapple Pork with Roasted Pig – a pork flavored cupcake enriched with mango kim chee chutney & pineapple cream cheese frosting.
Conveniently located on the corner of 18th and L street, TreyBCakes is in a prime location for easy cupcake access and a delicious selection of lunch items. We stopped by and were delighted to find all of the cupcakes from the competition ready to go. We also walked in at the perfect time to meet the owner, Trey J. Luzzi and were excited when he welcomed us into his bakery and served us the amazing cupcakes himself.
Trey’s favorite cupcake, you ask? The delightful Carrot Cupcake. A succulent carrot-flavored cupcake topped with sweet cream cheese and walnuts. Rich, creamy and distinctively delicious only begins to describe the wonderful taste of TreyBCakes & Gourmet’s sweet desserts.
TreyBCakes is a family-inspired bakery, brought to a reality two years ago when owner Trey J. Luzzi resigned from his job working for the State of California, and found a way to follow his true dream of opening a high-end bakery. This chic bakery/eatery combination works deliciously well right in the heart of central midtown with L Street Lofts across the street and the business crowd nearby 5 days a week.
TreyBCakes
1801 L Street, Suite 70
916-442-7270
A Craving for Wedding Cupcakes
For the last few months, my nights and weekends have consisted mostly of checklists, song lists, guest lists, invitations, veils, showers, programs, dress fittings, menus, rings, flowers, bicep curls and push-ups (the boy kind!). You guessed it – I’m planning a wedding. Event planning generally falls into the PR umbrella, and is something we do for our clients on a regular basis… so in theory, planning an event for my personal life should be a breeze, right?
I actually have been having a blast planning the big day, together with my soon-to-be “other” half, Will, and our families. With May 24 right around the corner, one of the items we had to check off our list was the infamous wedding cake. Now, I’m not one of those girls that has been planning my wedding since the age of twelve, however, I will say that one of the first decisions that was made was that we’d be serving cupcakes instead of a traditional cake on our wedding day. What can I say – my priorities often revolve around food!
When I saw that one of Sacramento’s top gourmet cupcake bakeries opened a store front in Davis (where we live) I was intrigued. I called Cupcake Craving to set up a tasting, and they recommended I come into the main location (on Arden) to taste.
The people behind the counter were so friendly (I mean, they are surrounded by cupcakes, the happiest thing on earth) and they got us set up for the tasting in the back bakery. With a menu that includes flavors such as Mint Meltdown, S’More Galore and German Chocolate Wish, we had a tough time even deciding what to taste. We tasted several cupcakes, went through a jug of milk and discussed design and presentation. In the end, we decided on four flavors for our cupcake tower: Koo-Koo for Macaroon, Chocolate Brownie, Italian Rum Delight and the 10K Craving (carrot cake). Together with the folks at Cupcake Craving we designed the frosting and glazes that kept within the colors of our wedding, and even worked out a deal for a Davis delivery which would will make for one less thing for this bride to worry about on our wedding day. We walked away happy and awkwardly full, with a take-home container of half-eaten cupcakes. It was such a fun afternoon, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out. I’ll be sure to post a few post-wedding photos.
Gaga for Babycakes
If birthdays at Fleishman Hillard Sacramento mean delicious cakes from Freeport Bakery, then I bet you can only imagine what a pregnancy announcement and not one, but two engagements in the span of two weeks will bring . . . Babycakes!
Babycakes is a bakery in East Sacramento that opened in October, 2007 and specializes in decadent cupcakes. To view their daily flavors, you can visit Babycakes online here or visit them in person at 3675 J Street.
If you’ve indulged in a cupcake from Babycakes before, which is your favorite? Over here it’s fierce competition – carrot cake and red velvet are leading the pack in my book.
Wine Country Day Trippin'
One of the greatest things about living in the Sacramento area is our close proximity to everything that Northern California has to offer… a two hour drive east lands you in Lake Tahoe, two hours west and you’re in San Francisco. There are so many delicious day trips a Sacramento foodie can take; it’s nearly impossible to choose a favorite. But, during the summer, I’d have to say that my absolute favorite day trip is a drive to Napa or Sonoma wine country for wine tasting.
The beautiful scenery of a drive down Highway 12 immediately puts you at ease – there’s just something about hills of never ending grapevines that makes you feel completely transported…. Wait, where was I? Oh yeah – a day trip to wine country! Although I looove to go wine tasting, this past weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to a “bottling party” in Sonoma.
Two spinach quiches and I tagged along with my boyfriend’s family to their friend’s vineyard in Sonoma. Although they sell the majority of their grapes to big name labels, they save some grapes each year and throw a wine bottling party for friends and family to share in the winemaking experience.
After we added our side dishes to the five picnic benches full of food, I immediately went to check out the bottling process. The barrels of wine were lined up in a small barn and the wine was being pumped into a large plastic vat in the middle (see photo above). The wine was then siphoned into tubes that pump the wine into empty bottles. One of the coolest things was how they cork them – the full bottle is placed on a corking contraption (oh how I love alliteration!) and the cork is literally pushed into the neck of the bottle by force.
The finished bottles were then passed down a table of “labelers” – a line of eager volunteers with pens-in-hand ready to put their own mark on each bottle. My favorite label – certainly inspired by the writings in a bathroom stall – read: “For a good time – Drink this wine!” After much food, wine, dancing and fun, each family left the party with a case of the just-bottled wine – the perfect ending to a fabulous Sonoma day trip.
Side note: I just have to mention that I saw the CUTEST cupcakes at this party… chocolate and vanilla cupcakes topped with buttercream frosting and grape bunches drawn in icing. What a great idea… and one I’m certainly going to borrow for the next wine-themed party I go to!