During business trips, designer Shea Mullen saw the cupcake craze sweep the nation at NYC's Magnolia and L.A.'s
Sprinkles. Enamored, Mullen was determined to created a design-savvy, homespun version of the concept.
This week, Mullen opens CoCo’s Cupcake Café at 5811 Ellsworth Avenue, along with partner Dennis Steigerwalt, a Mt. Washington resident and president of Steigerwalt Capital, LLC.
Susie Treon, formerly of the
Cafe at the Frick and named Best Pastry Chef by
Pittsburgh Magazine, Nick Torina, a recent
Pennsylvania Culinary Institute graduate and Krissie Frank, fresh from a stint at a French organic farm, teamed up to create CoCo’s menu. In addition to what Mullen dubs the “four basic, nostalgic types,” CoCo’s will carry specials such as eggnog, gingerbread and vegan cupcakes.
The 2,000 square-foot café features a patio, concrete floor, white oak interiors created by Kevin Kauffunger and a steel railing designed by metalsmith Chad Fedchick. Its walls will feature cupcake-themed works by local artists.
“We’ll be open late as an alternative to the bar scene,” says Mullen, a Regent Square resident whose company Good Chemistry has designed products for
American Eagle and
Barney's. “Ellsworth is going to rock at night--I think it’s what Walnut used to be.”
CoCo’s plans to host art events, launch a “cupcake couture” line and may turn its basement into a dessert bar. Sweet.
Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Shea Mullen
Photograph copyright © Jonathan Greene