Rosalina Ascolani, Co-Owner of Coronado Cupcakery and expert frosting taste-tester
1. Where did your love of baking come from?
My mother has always loved to bake. When I was a child, each year for my birthday she would bake a chocolate cupcake with Bavarian crème filling and chocolate buttercream frosting. Now we sell that same cupcake at the Cupcakery and we call it the “Mama Rosa.” Baking at the Cupcakery is quite different than baking at home when we were young. For example, one of our cupcake recipes calls for 36 eggs, which bakes enough to last us through one day. We never used that many eggs at home!
2. You opened Coronado Cupcakery in 2009 with your sisters Monica, Lorena, and Giovanna. What is it like working with your family?
We opened the Cupcakery when my youngest sister, Giovanna, was 17 and about to leave for college at Cal Poly. She was gone for a while but worked every summer while she was home. Things have changed since we first started, but what has stayed consistent is our support for each other.
Because there are four of us siblings that co-own the shop, we are able to allocate tasks well. We work together on everything; however, each sister has found her niche. Typically Giovanna decides our merchandise, Lorena does the marketing, Monica purchases our product, and I handle customer service.
3. What inspires your dessert names?
Our dessert labels are the names of some of our closest friends and family, as well as employees who have been with us from the start. Keep a look out for the Reyna cupcake, which is debuting this fall; a salted caramel cupcake with toasted coconut frosting.
4. What is your favorite part about owning a business in Coronado?
I have loved getting to know my regulars. One customer comes in every Tuesday for his vanilla chocolate chip Vivi cupcake. Another customer has ordered her wedding cake and baby shower cake from us and now orders her birthday cakes through us year after year. The best part is when they let me get creative with the design.
Because we are located at the Ferry Landing, a tourist area, we have met people from all over the world, which has been unique. We used to have a world map on our wall at the store and we let the customers place a pin on the location they were from. The map was completely filled within nine months.
5. When you need a break from cupcakes, where do you go for a different kind of sweet treat?
I do not tire of treats, though at times I get sugared out when sampling frostings. When I crave a change, I head to Nado Gelato and order the coconut gelato; it’s to die for.
