Brandon Arnovick
Brandon Arnovick is the unlikely owner of Mission Minis, a successful cupcake shop in the hip Mission District of San Francisco. You'd never guess it at first glance, but this tattooed, "bad boy" music producer makes a killer cupcake. Brandon is completely self-taught and has been baking for more than 10 years. He started out by hosting dinner parties at his home for friends and family. People loved his homemade desserts so much he decided to turn the cupcakes into a business. He started out by selling wholesale to local shops and restaurants, and in 2009, he opened his full-time storefront. Brandon credits his success to his manic energy and "gnarly" baking skills.
Assistant: Sarah McElfresh
Mission Minis
3168 22nd St.
San Francisco, CA 94110
Phone: 415-817-1540
WINNER!: Victoria Donnelly
Victoria is a sweet and spunky Brit who moved to America to get her master's degree in journalism. She always harbored a secret love for baking, and one day, with the encouragement of her husband, she left her "old life" behind and opened Cakeology, an online cupcake company that delivers fresh and tasty cupcakes to the greater Boston area. Victoria is a self-proclaimed Cupcake Wars super fan. After watching every episode from Season 1, she's thrilled to be competing on her favorite television show.
Try Victoria's winning recipe:
Victoria's three other recipes:
Blue Velvet, Blackberry Curd and Blackberry Lemon Cream Cupcakes
Wheat Germ and Ginger, Wasabi Cream, and Tuna Creme Fraiche Cupcakes
Chocolate Stout and Irish Creame Liqueur Cupcakes
Assistant: Amanda Connor
Cakeology
Boston, MA
Phone: 888-865-1976
Kasia Maslanka
Kasia is a Le Cordon Bleu trained chef who oversees the kitchen at Parties by Panache, an event catering company in Brea, Calif. Desserts are only a part of Kasia's responsibilities at PBP. She is responsible for every dish from every course the company serves. Kasia sees this as an advantage going into Cupcake Wars. While traditional bakers are used to focusing only on cupcakes, Kasia has experience multitasking and creating menus for several large events in a single weekend that will help her dealing with the pressure that's bound to come along once she's at the Cupcake Wars kitchen.
Assistant: Richard Espinachio
Parties By Panache
2808 E. Imperial Highway
Brea, CA 92821
Phone: 714-572-2190
Michelle Risucci
Michelle is a self-taught baker who gained her expertise studying cookbooks, her grandmother's famous recipes and by watching Food Network. She works as the head baker at Auntie Em's Kitchen, a restaurant, bakery and catering company in Los Angeles. Michelle is a traditional-style baker and claims she's been making cupcakes since before cupcakes were cool. She has perfected the old-school cupcake style, and she's famous for her classic red velvet.
Assistant: Terri Wahl
Auntie Em's Kitchen
4616 Eagle Rock Blvd.
Los Angeles CA 90041
Phone: 323-255-0800
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