The Cupcake Collection is a Nashville staple known for its premium treats, which has made the bakery a destination for locals and tourists alike since 2008. That long-running success is even more remarkable considering the bakery’s humble beginnings.
“I started on the last $5 that I had for dinner. I was drowning in debt,” recalls founder Mignon Francois. She was inspired by radio host Dave Ramsey’s advice to host a bake sale to get out of debt, even though at the time she didn’t know how to bake. “I promised that if God made me successful, I would share my story with others so they would know what they could do if they believed,” she says.
Although Francois lacked baking experience, her grandmother was known for her delicious homemade treats. “I called my grandmother, but she doesn’t have recipes. It’s a pinch, it’s that much in your hand,” Francois recalls. “She took me through the pinching, scooping, measuring with your fingers method, but when I went to do it on my own it wasn’t working.” She realized she needed a more scientific approach and began methodically tweaking the ingredients, gaining a deeper understanding of baking as she developed her own recipes.
Francois initially focused on cupcakes because she thought the decorating would be more manageable than full-sized cakes. “Although I later learned that even decorating a cupcake to be something that someone would want to buy was difficult,” she says with a laugh. “There is an art to making a beautiful cupcake, even the ones that look like they just have a plop of frosting on them.”
Today, The Cupcake Collection offers classic, mini, and jumbo cupcakes, as well as celebration cakes, wedding cakes, and pupcakes. Flavors run the gamut from classic red velvet to creative monthly specials like chocolate chip cookie dough, with gluten-free and vegan options available daily. Many flavors, including the bestselling sweet potato, are inspired by Francois’ Louisiana roots.
“My New Orleans heritage is really important to me,” she says. “There’s no greater place to be from.” She notes that since the city’s port was hub for the slave trade, there is an especially deep African influence in New Orleans cuisine. “As I’m building recipes and adding new things, I always look back at my culture and what needs to be celebrated.”
Today, The Cupcake Collection has three Tennessee locations: in Nashville’s Historic Germantown and Lenox Village neighborhoods, as well as nearby Hendersonville. Francois has also launched a line of ready-to-bake mixes and packaged icings so that people can create bakery-quality treats at home. In addition, she’s authored a memoir, Made From Scratch: Finding Success Without a Recipe, that provides a framework for others to follow their dreams.
“It doesn’t matter how much money you have. That’s not a reason not to start what God put you in place to do,” she says. “I started my business and made it a destination in the city I live in and heard about around the world because I obeyed that calling.”
AUTHOR
Stacy Brooks is a Minneapolis-based freelance journalist focusing on food and travel. Her writing has been published in Hemispheres, Midwest Living and Wine Enthusiast, and she blogs at Tangled Up In Food.
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