Heyyyyyy!  Welcome back to another ‘Noire Excellence’ segment and this time I want yall to meet Danielle. She low…nah high-key makes some of THE best cupcakes I’ve ever tasted in my 28 years of living. I’ve known Dani for quite some time now and have been a fan of her baking for awhile too. She recently had the grand opening for her ‘Contrary Cupcakes’ business and I had the chance to sit down and chat with her about how everything has been going. Want to see how everything went? Just keep reading.. 

ATBEL: First things first, I just want to say thanks for taking the time out to chat with me today. I appreciate it… Let’s get started shall we?  Let everyone know what’s your name, where you’re from/live and what it is that you do.

CC: Hi I’m Danielle, I’m from Illinois but I live in U City, MO and the owner of Contrary Cupcakes .

ATBEL: What made you want to start making cupcakes? How long have you been baking? And when did you know that this passion of yours is what you wanted to peruse? ( I know it’s a lot of questions but I’m intrigued lol)

CC: It was an interesting start…I went to college for arts and fashion design and in my painting classes, I ALWAYS painted cupcakes. One day, after showing my professor a collection of various cupcake paintings, he asked me a simple question..”Why cupcakes?” He told me to start baking to understand cupcake form, icing, and the composition of the object. So I did.

ATBEL: Your cupcakes are soooooooo bomb! The ones you made me for my birthday got devoured instantly! lol Do you come up with your own cupcake recipes? And how do you know what flavors work best with one another?

These are my birthday cupcakes I was talking about. I asked for some Ciroc cupcakes and Danielle went above and beyond my expectations. My girls and I ate these within 15 min lol

CC: Thanks E!! Awesome!!! I create my own recipes. Flavor combinations come via trial and error.

ATBEL: You’re very welcome! Ever had any cupcake combinations that didn’t turn out so good?

CC: Absolutely!!! I did a sweet potato cupcake and topped it with an American buttercream….AWFUL!

ATBEL: Yeaaaa…that does not sound very tasty lol But hey..you live and you learn right? I dig the name ‘Contrary Cupcakes’. Is there any special meaning behind that name? Or what made you come up with it..

Left: Strawberries N’Cream Right: Red Velvet..soooo yummy!!

CC: Contrary came from my love of flavor combos. I love doing interesting flavors that are NOT supposed to be in cupcakes. Just wait, they’re coming.

ATBEL: I’ll definitely be on the lookout for those. So how do you know if your cupcakes are a hit? I assume Noey is the official cupcake tester lol

CC: Lol Noey is great but she won’t fast everything and William doesn’t have a sweet tooth. I use my family (mom, cousins, and aunt) often.

ATBEL: I saw something on your Facebook recently…its been 3 years and you finally got your own cupcake shop.. Dani that is beyond dope and I’m super happy and proud of you!!How does it feel to have your own business now? What an accomplishment!!

CC:  Great question.. It honestly still hasn’t hit me yet.

Danielle and her first customer at her grand opening!

At her grand opening on 2/13/16! Photo Cred: @roach_god

Photo Cred @roach_god

ATBEL: How was the process when it comes to starting up a new business?

CC: There were some hiccups, but for the most part it was a smooth process once I actually got the location. It took me over a year to find one.

Come check her out at 4904 Devonshire St.Louis, MO

Look at God!

ATBEL: What advice can you give to other young women who would like to take their passion of baking to the next level?

CC: Keep. Going. =)

ATBEL: Where can one find you via social media and order some of their own Contrary Cupcakes?

CC: ContraryCupcakes on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Come visit us at the shop, or email contrarycupcakes@gmail.com

ATBEL: Thanks again Dani! I wish you and ‘Contrary Cupcakes’ much success in the future.

CC: You’re welcome E. I appreciate all the love and support.

Alright folks.. that’s it for today’s segment. I hope you enjoyed it and I’ll see you all next time. If you’re in St.Louis, make sure you head down to 4904 Devonshire and get you some Contrary Cupcakes because I guarantee you will love them just as much as I did. 

Until next time loves…

XO

Erica Leigh