A few months ago Megan and I had the privilege of sitting down with Hollis Wilder, owner and creator of Sweet! By Holly. If you haven’t visited this cupcake and frozen yogurt shop yet, you are certainly missing out.
As the first two-time winner of Cupcake Wars on the Food Network, Sweet! By Holly’s cupcakes are nothing shy of a pure, sugary sweet heaven. If you plan on trying a few of her mini’s, you may as well buy a dozen, because one or two is never, never enough.
Boston Cream, Chocolate Puddin’, Creamsicle, PBJ, Snowball, and Toasted Coconut are just a few of the amazing flavors found in the Town Center’s shop daily. Of course, don’t forget about the specialty flavors offered seasonally, like the current offering of Dipped Strawberry and Lemon Raspberry for Valentine’s Day.
The Interview
Megan and I had a long chat with Miss Holly. It was my first time ever meeting her and my first impression was that this woman does not just bake cupcakes. Well, she doesn’t.
Her background as a chef from Los Angeles, cooking for TV hits like Will & Grace and Seinfeld, and a culinary artist on the savory side, is what gave her the edge in Cupcakes Wars when she created the first salmon cupcake on the show. It is also one of the inspirations of her new book Savory Bites: Meals You Can Make In Your Cupcake Pan. With portion control in mind, Hollis offers tips on cooking with your kids, as well as some great recipes for your cupcake pan, including Apple-Sausage Breakfast Cakes and Fig and Blue Cheese Tarts.
What I love about Hollis:
- Her style. Miss Holly is smokin’! She may have even been wearing a hot, black little number that day (who says you have to dress casual to work in a cupcake shop?) Did I ask her how in the world she stays in great shape surrounded by cupcakes? Of course! ALL IN MODERATION PEOPLE! Plus her delicious creations are transfat free! Egg whites and smart balance and made from scratch.
- She’s a cool MOM. Yes, she is a mom on top of her crazy schedule, managing two locations, and writing, now promoting, her new book. I loved that she admitted struggling with balancing family and work in the beginning. Her solution? Empowering her staff so she could have more time with family. A testament of a great boss, in my opinion.
- Her motto. “What’s the cupcake in your life?” Um, banana cream? OH, she means philosophically speaking! “What gets you up in the morning??”
What I love about Sweet! By Holly:
- Mini Mania Mondays! Mini cupcakes for $1 each! Oh happy day.
- Community focus. Like Sweet By Holly on Facebook and you’ll see how involved they are in charities and our city. One of my last visits to the shop they were fundraising for Girls on the Run!
- Her “thoughtfully created” cupcakes. Well obviously these are no ordinary cupcakes. The flavors alone are unique and well-developed. But the artistry is also just amazing. Hats off to her team of amazing chefs!
I have not had the pleasure to try one YET but I am sure it would be strawberry.
I love the Strawberry cupcakes. 🙂
My favorite is the Red Velvet Cupcake
Chocolate Mousse and banana rock
Sad I did not win, however my jeans thank you! 🙂
I’m just catching on the blog. I really love this post. Now I can’t believe I have never been to her shop.