 "Photo: Sweet-n-Sassy Cupcakes")
It's not often Newark is in the national television spotlight, so when Tara Voigt got a call from the Food Network saying her shop would be featured on one of its shows, she was speechless.
The new show "Road Tasted with the Neelys," which debuted on the Food Network earlier this summer, featured a segment on Sweet-n-Sassy Cupcakes, a local store owned by Voigt and her husband Mike. The shop appeared on an episode where Gina and Pat Neely visit various food shops in Baltimore and its surrounding areas.
Voigt says she was surprised when anonymous producers contacted her in the spring.
"These television producers called and didn't say who they were with and asked us several questions," she says. "We answered all of them without a problem and they finally asked us to ship a sample."
After conducting research on the Internet, Voigt says she realized the producer was from the Food Network. Upon receiving the samples, the network called immediately with exciting news.
"They called us within minutes of receiving our delivery and told us that they would have a camera crew in our store in the next five days," Voigt says. "Everything happened so fast that I didn't even get a chance to register the process."
Lauren Petrick, a recent graduate of the university serving as the manager of the store, says the whole filming process was an amazing experience.
"It's incredible, because the Food Network was seeking for them," Petrick says. "Tara and Mike deserve it because they are savvy, hard working people."
She says she believes a big reason they were chosen was because of their unique shipping protocol. Voigt says they are one of the only bakery companies that ship their cupcakes.
She says her husband designed a shipping component for the cupcakes that keeps them intact during shipping. They recently completed a prototype and patented it over the summer. Voigt says shipping nationwide has been a priority for the company.
Junior Taryn Pellicone worked the day of filming and says the whole experience was surreal.
"It was a weird feeling to see a national food show come to little Newark, and especially since the store is relatively new," Pellicone says.
Pellicone, the head baker, says the Neelys' easygoing presence relaxed the whole staff during filming.
"They were so personable and funny, which made the whole process less intimidating," she says. "They were fun to be around and eased our nerves when they talked to us."
Voigt says she felt insecure at times because they had to make the whole segment look spontaneous. In reality, they filmed the same scene up to three times.
"There were multiple cameras that were filming at different angles," she says. "We had to go through so many takes and run through the same thing many times, which made the overall filming process last about seven hours."
Voigt says the company is growing rapidly, with a second store slated for a February 2009 opening in Charlotte, N.C. The segment airs on the Food Network repeatedly.
"The best part about this is that Food Network tends to replay episodes constantly from as long as seven years ago," Voigt says. "We will be getting airplay on the channel for a while."
What really keeps the company going, she says, is the close-knit team of workers. Petrick agrees and says the staff adds to the already bright, friendly atmosphere the shop offers.
Voigt says she was delighted with the overall outcome of the segment, as it brought attention to Main Street and the city of Newark.
"It's a big deal for us since we are the first company to be featured on the Food Network from Delaware, and it let us know that we are moving in the right direction," she says. "I'm pretty proud of that, especially since we are still considered newbies."
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