ing Yummy Cupcakes located across the street.
The bake shop immediately attracted national attention, having write-ups in bridal magazines and trend sites like the Daily Candy, the store became known for its unique old-bakery meets 21st century design.
“I had a man come by the store one day and he said it reminded him of the bake shops in the ‘30s,” Berman said.
Cupcakes have experienced a resurgence in popularity the past few years and entrepreneurs have taken notice, opening specialty shops across the country, including Yummy Cupcakes and Sprinkles in Beverly Hills.
Berman doesn’t believe that cupcakes are a trend that will die out, but rather sees it as something that Americans have rediscovered, tapping into their childhood joys.
“It’s like when Mrs. Fields came out and the cookie shop thing blew up, but there are still cookie shops,” Berman said.
The producers of the “Martha Stewart Show” apparently took notice of the cupcake craze, dedicating a whole week to the lovable treat.
Berman received a message in March from the show asking if she could send over a batch of her best cupcakes. The show’s producers had looked at several hundred cupcake boutiques across the country and Vanilla Bake Shop had caught their eye.
Afraid of the potential damage that could be inflicted on the cupcake’s design, which is part of the treat’s marketability, Berman decided to deliver the baked goods herself, canceling existing travel plans and booking a red-eye out to New York City.
She flew back to Los Angeles that same day and a few days later, heard the good news from the show’s producers.
According to Greta Anthony, the food producer on the Martha Stewart Show, bakers mailed, drove and flew their cupcakes to the studio for a series of tastings by Stewart.
“After tasting hundreds of cupcakes, we selected our favorites, including Amy Berman of Vanilla Bake Shop,”Anthony said. “Not only were Amy’s cupcakes delicious, they were beautifully decorated.”
Stewart’s favorite from Vanilla Bake Shop was the Meyer Lemon Raspberry,Anthony added.
Berman flew back to New York with her husband last Monday, spending the week with her family and filming the show last Wednesday, which aired the same day. The couple flew back on Friday.
She admitted to being nervous about going in front of a camera, after working behind the scenes in television for so many years.
“It was thrilling to meet her,”Berman said of Stewart. “I love Martha Stewart and for us, it was a complete honor.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 7, 2008. Read the original PDF.