WINNER!: Ron Bzdewka
Ron and his wife, Ruthie, are far from what you would consider conventional — just like their cupcakes. With sales of cupcakes numbering between 500 and 800 per day at their Princeton, N.J.-based
House of Cupcakes, customers like what they see and taste. It would appear that baking is in the blood, with Ron and Ruthie's sons, Rage and Riot, each creating their own signature cupcake. Needless to say, this duo is up for doing battle on our stage. Ron is suited to the tasks of the show: He once baked 1,000 cupcakes in a single day. That was business, but this is cupcake war!
Assistant: Ruth Bzdewka
House of Cupcakes
30 Witherspoon St
Princeton, NJ 08542
Try Ron's winning recipe:
Oatmeal-Raisin Cupcakes, Orange Cream Cheese Icing
Ron's other recipes:
Espresso Dark Brownie Cupcakes, Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting
Stephanie Franz
Stephanie comes to Cupcake Wars with an impressive resume. She is a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu, a student of the World Pastry Forum in Paris and has trained in all aspects of pastry at a five-star resort. She's now the head pastry chef at
Cupcakes Couture in Manhattan Beach. Stephanie knows that the proof is in the pudding and claims that her cupcakes are "by far the best looking and best tasting cupcakes ever!" With names like "Lady In Red," "Glitz & Glamour" and "Let's Waltz," these cupcakes and Stephanie may just be destined to see their names in lights.
Assistant: Eunice Montes
Cupcakes Couture
916 Manhattan Ave.
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
Shaunda Lohse
Shaunda's story is one of inspiration and hope. Just a short time ago, she found herself unemployed, recently divorced and living in a homeless shelter with her four children. It was her 4-year-old son, stricken with cancer, that gave her words of encouragement, telling her, "Tomorrow is going to be better." Tomorrow came two weeks later, when, with the support of her town, a little money in her pocket and some amazing cupcakes, Sugar on Top opened its doors in State College, Pa., in 2010.
Assistant: Kristine Kolesar
Sugar On Top
121/2 Beaver Ave.
State College, PA 16801
Leyna Tran
A few years ago, Leyna entered a Hollywood cupcake challenge on a whim and walked away with the title of L.A.'s Best and L.A.'s Public Choice Award. She knew she had a good thing going, so why not take it all the way to Le Cordon Bleu, the famed culinary institute of which Leyna is a recent graduate. As part of her continued education, Leyna is planning to study abroad in Paris. Her A-list celebrity clients agree it's what's NOT in Leyna's "Babycakes" that makes them even better: She doesn't use any oil, shortening or butter in her cupcakes. It's time for Leyna to lay it all on the line and let her award-winning cupcakes dazzle on Cupcake Wars.
Assistant: Charlie Gulliher
Leyna's Kitchen
Los Angeles, CA
Website: www.LeynasKitchen.com
Previous Episode: Valentine's Day
Next Episode: Walk of Fame
