Long Beach Business: Frosted Cakery
“Rich in Tradition, Sweet in Presentation” For Stacia Samartan and her mom and business partner, Nancy Hanley, crafting happiness by hand from delectable ingredients is more than a job — it’s a tradition. In fact, it’s baked right into their motto at Frosted Cupcakery in Long Beach: “Rich in Tradition, Sweet in Presentation.” “We started our business 14 years ago,” Stacia said, “before the upswing in cupcake shops. It has always been important to us to recognize the tradition of a home-baked product that people have been making in their kitchens forever. In our family, baking at home is something we shared together as a family growing up. We want our customers to see that we’re not just a machine pumping out as much product as we can. We care about our customers and the quality of the cupcakes we serve.” Stacia previously worked in the fashion industry, where she learned the artistry behind creating a recognizable brand. “It gave me such an insight into how a brand is built and the importance of paying attention to all the details. It helped me a lot to build this business and find joy not just in selling thousands of cupcakes. There has to be joy in the work.” It was during a trip to Vancouver in 2003 that she visited a gourmet cupcake boutique for the first time. Afterward, she began thinking about baking as a business, and she introduced the idea to her mom. The concept took form, and after a full year of planning, Stacia and Nancy selected their first 500-square foot location on Claremont Avenue in Long Beach. “I kept my job for the first year, and my mom worked in the shop during the week, and I worked there on the weekend. We are so grateful to the Long Beach community and all the people who really believed in us and were willing to try us.” Three years later, they had outgrown their start-up location and acquired the large storefront that is their flagship store today at 4817 East 2nd Street in Long Beach. Over the years, they have operated successful locations in Hollywood and Hermosa Beach, ultimately consolidating to a second store closer to home at the Pacific City oceanfront mall in Huntington Beach. At Frosted Cupcakery, everything is truly handcrafted. Stacia explained that frosting each cupcake by hand, sans piping bags, results in her cupcakes’ signature look. “We put time, effort, love and care into creating our product. Calling it handcrafted is not just a term; we really do it.” The menu includes a variety of fan favorites — like Royal White with Nutella Buttercream frosting and Chocolate with Caramel Buttercream frosting rimmed with crushed Heath Bar — along with a flavor of the month, seasonal selections and both gluten-free and vegan options. “It’s important to us to provide options for people with dietary restrictions and personal convictions. We look at them the same way we look at our traditional recipes. Working with different food products changes the experience, and it’s important to us that people say, ‘This is really good.’ We’ve worked on recipes for a whole year before making them part of our menu.” While the focus is, and always will be, on cupcakes, Frosted Cupcakery also offers delish frosted sugar cookies, ice cream-filled cupcakes and hi-top mini cupcake sandwiches — bit-sized drops of heaven with frosting spread between two mini cupcake tops. Frosted Cupcakery delights in filling special orders for celebrations of all kinds. “At no charge, customers can add sprinkles, crystals, glitter or tint to their buttercream or cream cheese frostings, but we still stick with a traditional look. We don’t work with things like fondant that we don’t feel are yummy and edible. We can also mold chocolate into different shapes because everybody wants to eat a little chocolate with their cupcake.” So besides being Instagram-worthy and oh-so-delicious, why, exactly, are cupcakes so magical? According to Stacia, the magic is in cupcakes’ individuality. “People love that it’s their own complete cake and they don’t have to feel guilty about enjoying a single serving. And when someone is having a special event, it’s fun to offer a variety of flavors to please everyone.” That individuality mirrors one of the things that is most special about the Long Beach community. “This is such a diverse community, and we want everybody to know they are welcome, and we will serve them in the best way we can. To us, it’s always important that every person feels comfortable walking into one of our stores. ” Who knew that cupcakes could be such a force for good in the world? Stacia and Nancy did. As business owners, employers and neighbors, they are committed to handcrafting happiness in their community every day. “We care about each cupcake we make and where it’s going,” Stacia said. “We think about it every day when we start baking at 4:30 a.m. This cupcake is going to somebody who is going to enjoy it. It’s exciting and brings us so much pride to know we’re part of someone’s celebration. It has always been part of our family tradition, and now being part of other people’s memories is just beyond anything we could have imagined. We’re so grateful to have a voice in this community.” Frosted Cupcakery, 4817 E. 2nd Street, Long Beach - info@frostedcupcakery.com
Long Beach Landmark: Long Beach Airport
Long Beach Airport - The Art Deco Flying Circus BY LINDSEY GOODROW Long Beach Airport is undoubtedly one of the easiest, quietest, and cleanest airports to travel through. It is the 10th busiest airport in California and one of the busiest general aviation airports in the world. Long Beach Airport (aka, Daugherty Field) is not only culturally significant to Long Beach but historically significant - its rich history beginning in 1911. Before the Long Beach Airport had walls, it was simply a runway along the sea. Long Beach, a city named after its 4-mile stretch of sandy shoreline, was noticed by Calbraith Perry Rodgers while he was flying around in his Wright Model Ex. Rodgers was an aviation pioneer with an adventurous spirit. He became interested in aviation at a time when the industry was only in its infancy and took flying lessons directly from Orville Wright. After just 90 minutes of “lessons”, he was officially a pilot. Soon after he earned his wings, he heard of the Hearst Prize, a $50,000 prize offered by William Randolph Hearst to whichever pilot would be first to fly from the East to West Coast in under 30 days. Rodgers left Sheepshead Bay, New York in his small pusher biplane on September 17, 1911. Missing the deadline by 19 days, Rodgers landed his weary wheels on the long shore of Long Beach on December 10, 1911. Deadlines aside, this was still a monumental day for the pilot as well as aviation in general - the landing drew a crowd of 50,000 spectators, marking the beginning of Long Beach’s fascination and appreciation for aeronautics. For ten years following this historical landing, planes used the beach as a runway. Pilots would have to wait for low tide to take off and land these flying machines. The area surrounding the historical site was leased out by Earl Daugherty, a Long Beach aviator, as a space to perform flying stunts for paying spectators as well as open a flying field for his flight training school. Barnstorming became quite popular at this time. Also called flying circuses, these events were designed to impress spectators and show them just how magnificent flying could be. The only frontier left was the sky, and they were conquering it! This form of entertainment included a variety of stunts, such as spins, dives, loop-the-loops, and barrel rolls. Meanwhile, aerialists performed feats of wing walking, stunt parachuting, midair plane transfers, or even playing tennis, target shooting, and dancing on the plane's wings. Other stunts included nose dives and flying through barns, which unfortunately often led to pilots crashing their planes. Earl Daughtery, a fellow wing walker himself, understood that there was a great future in aeronautics, and convinced the Long Beach City Council to build the very first municipal airport in 1923. The Council purchased 150 acres of land near the intersection of Spring St. and Cherry. The airport we know today began its air transportation services on November 26, 1923. Oil was discovered on Signal Hill around the same time, leading to exponential growth and prosperity. The 20s were roaring in Long Beach. The airport quickly expanded by another 255 acres to keep up with demand. Hangars and administrative buildings were built to attract the attention of the military as well as private jet owners. The airport further tempted the military to set up base on their facilities by offering an astonishing deal of $1 a year to use their space. The Navy and Army were flattered and took the deal, setting up a Naval Research Air Base and Army Air Corps on this vast property. Since Long Beach Airport had such a strong military presence, it became an important site in the 1940s. At the beginning of WWII, the Civil Aeronautics Administrations took control of the airport for the war effort. For the remainder of the war, this 500-acre airport oversaw the training of pilots, acted as a base, and had a ferrying division that included a squadron of 18 female pilots, led by the commander and Long Beach local, Barbara London After the war ended and wartime contracts were all dried up, the airport returned to its usual commercial flying. Around this time, the WPA (Work Progress Administration) funded a project to give the airport a much-needed makeover. Grace Clements, a 28 year Long Beach-based artist, was commissioned to create murals and mosaics throughout the terminal. Her art depicted aviation, navigation, zodiac, and constellations. Her beautiful work was placed throughout the airport terminal with seven mosaics in all, composed of 1.6 million tiles in 32 colors. The Long Beach Airport was officially declared a historical landmark in the 1990s. When the terminal was recently renovated - a $136-million improvement project - it was important to Long Beach and its citizens that the space maintained its Streamline Moderne Architecture and Art Deco appeal. The facility was modernized in a way that is a true testament to its aviation history as well as being made more convenient and accessible to all future flyers. Painting by: Jamie Tablason
Local Business Highlight: A Drink Come True
A Drink Come True INTERVIEWED BY LINDSEY GOODROW Long Beach boasts an exciting nightlife, offering residents endless options for epic bars and restaurants to go out to, each unique in its own right. The city’s lively and diverse food & beverage scene is one of the many upsides of living in this spectacular city. But what if instead of going out to the bar, the bar came to you? That’s where A Drink Comes True comes in. Meet Jesse Rodriguez, the innovative mixologist behind A Drink Come True, a mobile bar service catering to the greater Los Angeles area. Tell us a bit about your background prior to starting A Drink Come True? I moved to Long Beach in 2012. I started off in hospitality as a food runner and busser. I knew I wanted to get in behind the bar so I switched gears and got a job at a popular spot with a full bar program and worked my way up to a bar back. I studied hard, learned the ins and outs of the cocktail world, and really grew to love it. So when I heard of a new bar opening up Downtown, I felt confident to take a chance and apply for the bartender position. I was hired! From there, it took off, and I fully immersed myself in the cocktail scene. What prompted you to start a mobile bar service? Was it something you had seen done before? How did you recognize there was a need for it? In January 2021, I was working a job I hated. The pandemic had devastated the hospitality industry, so I found work as a car salesman. It paid the bills, but it wasn’t what I wanted to be doing. One day I received a call from a friend who was having a party, and he asked me to bartend and make some fun cocktails. I jumped on the opportunity. I had really missed slinging drinks. I missed the sound of tins cracking back and forth, the banter, the cheer, but most importantly, I was missing the creative outlet. Soon after, I attended a wedding and was not impressed with the cocktails and the whole bar service. It lacked personality all around. That was my lightbulb moment. Clearly, there was a need for a damn good drink, especially at a special event! So why couldn't I provide that for people? That's when the idea for a mobile bar service really started to unravel into A Drink Come True! What kind of events do you serve? All kinds! You name it, I'll do it. I've served a 250-person wedding down to an intimate 5-person cocktail class. I've done birthdays, fundraising events, private tastings, retirement parties, and everything in between. It's been a lot of fun. Is there a memorable moment from one of these events that made you realize the business was a success? The first wedding I did was at a beautiful venue in Santa Barbara. The guest list was pushing about 130 people, and I knew it was just the beginning of something great. Although a huge learning curve, it was a major success! The feedback was extremely positive, but the one thing that stood out was a man thanking me for having something "surprisingly good" to drink that wasn't the typical Jack n' coke. It was great having people enjoy my cocktails, so that's when I knew this was going to be a success. What are your favorite bars in Long Beach and Los Angeles? Ooh tough question... My favorite bars in Long Beach are all bars in Long Beach! They all have something great to offer! Just to throw out a few.. you've gotta try "Smoke em if you got em" at Mezcalero, anything Momma Leah makes at The Hawk, The fun and wild drinks at Baby Gee's, the beers and Amaro at Ambitious Ales, the beautiful execution of cocktails at Navy Proof, classic tiki drinks at Bamboo Club and the list goes on! But honestly, all LB bars have something special and unique to them. Where do you draw your inspiration from? What are you current favorite flavors to experiment with? Much of my inspiration comes from the classics and things I've experienced while traveling. But mostly, the inspiration comes from each client. I like to figure out what types of drinks the party enjoys and use that as a guideline. Each menu is personally curated for each client, so no two menus are identical. When it comes to flavors, lately, I've been experimenting with Kaffir lime leaves and Italian Amaro. The Kaffir Lime leaves have a beautiful floral and citrus note that is great for infusions! Amaro (an herbal, bitter, and sweet digestif) is close to my heart, but it's loved by a very niche group of people because it can be a bit aggressive, so that's always a fun one to play with. What has been the most challenging aspect of starting a mobile bar service? The most challenging aspect has been the freelance lifestyle and its inconsistency. Some months are jam-packed, others might be a dry month (looking at you, January!)...( I do have some killer mocktail recipes...just sayin'..). But in all seriousness, it's a little scary waiting for the phone to ring; it's not the first thing people might think of when planning an event. Another challenging aspect is keeping up with the trends. Mocktails are huge right now. I recently worked on two events that requested a handful of mocktails. I wasn't going to just slap some fruit juices together and call it a day, I wanted to create a well-balanced, flavorful mocktail, so that was challenging..but extremely rewarding. What has been the most rewarding aspect of starting a mobile bar service? The most rewarding aspect is probably the amount of referrals from happy clients. It's a reminder that I'm doing something right and someone out there really enjoyed their experience with me and my team. And that everyone having a good time! Do you feel supported by the community in your work? What makes you love working out of Long Beach and the surrounding area? Every day I feel supported by the community, from my friends and regulars that I serve from behind the bar to my friends who promote and refer my services or even hire A Drink Come True for their event. One big reason I love working and living in Long Beach is 100% the community. It's a big little city that supports each other in arts, music, food, culture, diversity, and definitely the hospitality industry. Follow @adrinkcometrue on Instagram to stay updated on all that’s new with ADCT. For more information or to Book A Drink Come True at your next event, email adrinkcometrue@gmail.com directly. Let's have some fun!
Categories
Recent Posts
.png?w=1140)
