Laura Oleniacz of the Sun Journal recently wrote about the grand opening of Say It With Cake, 1906 Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd. (across from Piggly Wiggly). I was excited about the grand opening because the owner of the new shop, Angela Scamordella, said her store aims to be "super trendy, super modern, and hip." Wow. In little New Bern? Visions of Southern red velvet cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting made with vanilla beans, cupcakes made and iced with super-fruit puree or topped with fresh fruit, and not-so-sweet frosting danced in my head. And I fully expected to see even more exotic flavor combos. After all, bakeries in New Bern are abundant and to start a new one and keep it alive, one should have something to entice customers to come in, buy something and return to make more purchases. To open a bakery with the same type of product that anyone can get while they are grocery shopping at Food Lion, Wal-Mart or Harris Teeter would almost ensure failure. Yet, that's exactly what I found here.
Angela and her mom work together at the shop, and they seem to be a good team. Inventory on hand is light, without much variety. The chocolate cupcakes are unexceptional with typical bakery-type sugary icing with no real flavor. Angela informed me it's buttercream frosting. The carrot cake is pretty good, topped with cream cheese icing that, again, is very sugary with not much flavor. Cookies were wrapped in plastic wrap, not available for sampling. A wall blackboard provides prices.
Angela told me this is not a bakery, but a "cakery." Her forte seems to be cake decorating. When I questioned her on what is "hip" about this place, she replied it was the wallpaper.
My sincere best wishes to Angela and her mom for a successful business venture. I do hope they have a solid 5-year business plan in place to guide them and that they are well connected with friends, neighbors and relatives who can give them lots of business.
You are mean and rude.
ReplyDeletefor real. Super rude. We are in New Bern, not New York.
ReplyDeleteI saw one of the cakes they made at a recent baby shower - it was amazing. Wonderful, clever decorating and tasted great so I'm off to visit them tomorrow to order a birthday cake. Hope to be one of their customers who bring them plenty of business!
ReplyDeleteReal reviewers have to tell the truth. If the only two options are a negative review or a lie, I'd rather hear the negative review. If that seems rude to some people, those are people who probably don't need to read reviews, because they'll never dislike anything. Except reviews. :)
ReplyDeleteScott, thanks for your comments. Right now, I'm probably the most unpopular person in New Bern for my "honesty." I have a picky palate and am continually amazed at the number of people I encounter who seem to have no tastebuds at all.
ReplyDeleteFound this blog and agree with the review ... Good point Scott!
ReplyDeleteThis blog is so true, plus the lack of follow through! On two differnt occassions, birthday and graduation, cake was not ready!!! Always has excuses...sick, no help, something broke! Won't give them my business anymore!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous, Try Nicole at The Wild Cupcake next time. You won't be disappointed. Check out her blog http://www.thewildcupcake.blogspot.com/, or find Nicole at the New Bern Farmer's Market on Saturdays, or at Rebecca's Gourmet Restaurant on Metcalf + Pollock Streets during the week. Check out my blog post on Nicole: http://bearcupboard.blogspot.com/2011/07/wild-cupcake-new-kid-on-block.html.
ReplyDelete