Where Cupcakes Are King

At the recently opened King of Cupcakes on Seventh Avenue, cupcakes don't just come in vanilla, chocolate or red velvet.

The old faithfuls are there, of course, but here they play second string to a wave of inventive flavors like Autumn Canolli (topped with an entire mini cannoli) and Peppermint Stick.

More than just your average cupcake shop, King of Cupcakes aims to be the neighborhood's full-service dessert and party supply shop. Just over two months old, the family-owned and operated store is the brainchild of Brooklyn-born and raised owner, Sean Rich, along with partners Garrison Gross (Rich's cousin) and Megan Kerrigan (Rich's fiancée).

After having worked as a sales representative for Ciao Bella Gelato covering the Park Slope area for four years, Rich decided to take his background in dessert sales to the next level by entering the cupcake business. 

Along with Kerrigan, the baker, and Garrison, the operations expert, the three knew that in order to differentiate themselves from the rest, they had to open a different type of cupcake shop.

"Being from Brooklyn, I wanted to give our shop a Brooklyn feel.  Cupcake flavors like Struffoli, Canolli and Rainbow Cookie reflect my Italian pastry background," said Rich. "We've taken something that's been around for awhile and made it our own."

Decked out in hot pink, brown and white (the colors of Neapolitan ice cream), the King of Cupcakes' cutesy décor is not what you'd expect from a shop owned by a young, stubble-sporting Brooklynite with a thick Brooklyn accent. Hot pink chairs surround small white tables allowing small groups to sit and eat their sweet treats.  A large retail area offers customers the opportunity to stock up on balloons, candles and other party supplies.

The shop currently offers thirty rotating cupcake flavors, from the aforementioned basic vanilla to pumpkin and even sour apple. "A lot of what you see in our store you won't see anywhere else," said Rich. 

If cupcakes aren't your sweet of choice, the shop also offers an assortment of pies, custom-made cakes, cookies, cupcake pops, gelato and sorbet.  For those with dietary restrictions, a vegan and gluten-free line of cookies and cakes is also available. Cupcakes come in two sizes: queen or prince.

To carry through with the theme, visiting children receive tiaras or crowns upon leaving the shop, or, if they prefer, one of the many balloons hovering overhead.

"It's about the experience," said Rich. "We're not a franchise. It's personal here."