Washington Square Park
south side, at the intersection of West 4th Street and La Guardia Place. [map] [menu]
Hours
Tues – Fri 11am – 9pm
Sat – 11am -10pm
Sun – 11am – 9pm
Welcome back students!
Metropolitan Museum of Art
5th Ave and 82nd Street, near the steps of the MET [map] [menu]
Hours
Tues – Sun 9am – 7pm
Open Labor Day, September 6th
davidheatley.com
Or
him.
We have 20 Cupcake flavors and 8 Shake flavors on our menu. We feature 5 Cupcakes and 3 Shakes daily which rotate often on our carts. At the MET Cart, we also offer 2 Savory Cake options per day. See The Menu »
The Met Cart!
Since the day we opened in June, we’ve been falling in love with Washington Square Park. We love the people, the dogs, the guy with the golden bicycle… We love the adventurous feel and the creativity in the air. It’s just right for Cake & Shake.
And it seems that locals, students and tourists have fallen in love with us, too… or at least with our cupcakes and shakes. Customers gleefully ask for them by name (“I’ll take a Rich Guy and a Warm Glow, please!) and debate the really important questions: “What exactly is a milkshake anyway? Is it ice cream? Is it a smoothie? Is it vigorously shaken organic milk?” Dogs literally beg for our signature PoochCakes. And soon, you’ll be able to bake your own Cake & Shake doggie treats because the recipe will be included in a much-anticipated cookbook for dogs, Bone Appetit.
As the love affair flourishes, we’ve also been not-so-secretly building a second cart for our new location near the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art! We couldn’t be more excited about our second home. Opening day is September 2, with Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at 11am, Kids Party at 3pm, and free Gimme Coffee for caregivers.
Like her sister in Washington Square, the Met cart will serve sweet favorites like Flip Flop, Yummy Nut London Lily, with one important addition: Savory Cakes. New Yorkers need to eat on the go, and sometimes (just sometimes) they need more than dessert. So, the Met cart will be serving cakes with a protein kick, such as Toad in the Hole (Buttermilk Cake with Sausage in the Middle) and Sunrise (Corn Bread Cake Stuffed with Chicken, Chili and Cheese). And don’t worry, you can still get your vigorously shaken organic milk beverage at both carts: milkshake flavors will remain unchanged.
Another exciting addition to the Met cart: the design. Look for clever details and winking references to the collection inside the Museum. The cart will include an Arts Corners for kids (like the Kid’s Corner at the WSP cart, only even more artsy) and a “Get Fancy” drawing station, where kids can create their own costume designs right on the cart.
So, the love is flowing, uptown and downtown. We’re really psyched to get into our new digs and sell some cakes to the art-loving people of the world. The new cart will be open 9am-7pm daily.
Come see us!
Profile of Joe Colli, Operations Manager for Cake & Shake
“I never saw myself selling cupcakes,” he says. But after working with Derek for a number of years doing catering and other projects, Joe Colli jumped at the chance to join the Cake & Shake project. “Derek is one of the finest chefs I’ve ever worked with. He spends so much time and puts so much care into what he does.”
“Derek and Gina are really good people. They have great values and virtues. They live life straight, and the company fits in with them and what they’ve stood for, which is honesty.” When Derek and Gina got the permit, Joe said to count him in.
As with his previous work in gourmet delis and high-end catering, Joe savors the interactions with Cake & Shake’s clientele. He loves talking to people about how the cupcakes and shakes are made. What he loves most is that the products “make people smile.”
One of Joe’s responsibilities as Manager of Operations, is what he calls “Moving the Beast:” Driving the big, beautiful, 4,000 pound Cake & Shake cart from a depot in Queens and physically pushing it onto its perch in Washington Square Park.
A vet of the Iraq war, Joe served in the Marine Corp for 8 years, and spent 9 months in Fallujah. Now, he says he’s “making a difference in the world by selling cupcakes.” With close-cropped hair and a solid work ethic, Joe says the #1 goal for Cake & Shake is “to work together to make this a great company.” Goal #2 is “to make sure the staff is happy. It’s supposed to be fun!”
Strangely, his experience as a Marine has a direct correlation to his work with the cupcake cart. One of his tasks was to care for, clean and set up large humvees in Iraq. “We’d set them up and two hours later tear down and move somewhere else.” In both jobs, safety and risk management are top priorities. “Move with a purpose,” he tells the staff who help him with the cart.
As for “The Beast,” she’s actually a more like a beloved thoroughbred to Joe. “She’s a heavy thing. Sometimes it’s hard to get her to move. But once she’s up there…” His admiration for her shines through as he describes parking her in the Queens depot, crammed in between the shiny falafel and coffee carts, her baby blue coat standing out among them. And he relays with pride how the other street vendors admire the Cake & Shake cart, asking, “Who made this for you?” “There’s a great kinship with the other vendors,” he says.
Talking with Joe, it’s clear that his experience as a Marine is always with him, even when it comes to selling cupcakes. He brings a strength and confidence to his work. “I can always tell myself, ‘I’ve been through tougher days.’”
His parting comment about this unlikely venture for a guy like him and a gourmet chef like Derek: “I guess we’re a couple of savory guys who turned sweet.”
Shake It Up Baby
Dear, sweet New York. You have been showing us love this whole first week! Thanks for buying our cupcakes and shakes by the armful. We feel really welcomed by everyone in the Washington Square Park area.
It’s been especially gratifying to have such a great response to our shakes. Before launch, the press stories seemed to be focused almost exclusively on the cupcakes. But as much as we love cupcakes, we have a deep passion for the shake. In fact, it’s the real reason that Cake & Shake even exists. All of us shake lovers know it’s hard to find a truly exceptional shake, especially in NYC. We don’t mean a malt, smoothie, juicie or some other newfangled beverage; we mean a good old fashion shake made with a great machine, using just milk and flavoring. Y’know, the way it used to be done? Gina’s dad can testify. (Right, Bill?)
The same precision and care that goes into each of our cupcakes is also applied to every shake we make. Take the Huckleberry shake for instance. Derek starts by boiling blueberries with pepper, cinnamon and salt for about 10 minutes. He blends it and after it cools, adds in lemon juice and blueberry juice. When you order your drink at the cart, the flavoring gets pulled individually for each shake with the organic dairy flowing in from up top. Nothing from a box.
In honor of our opening week, the onset of summer, and the great drink that is the milkshake… we thought we’d make you a little mix tape. Imagine this on cassette with bubble letters that read “What’s Shakin?”
What?!? We can’t help it. We’re old school! Enjoy.
-Gina & Derek
1. Shake
2. Twist and Shout [Shake It Up, Baby]
3. [Shake It] Cross the Dancefloor
4. Hey Ya (Shake it Like a Polaroid Picture!)
5. Shake, Rattle and Roll
6. Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going on
7. Shake It
8. Shake Me
9. Shake My Sillies Out
10. Shakedown
11. Shake Your Love
The Little Cupcake Cart that Could
Drumroll please…
The ribbon has been cut! Opening day was a total blast. There was a steady stream of customers and curious passers-by, many of whom stopped to get a better look and wound up staying for a cupcake or a shake. Our Kids Corner was in near-constant use. Over the course of a few hours, we saw marker depictions of: Wolverine (with cupcake), a snail, musical notes, and plenty of Jackson Pollack-like smears.
On the other side of the proverbial upside down cake… stuff happens. We had the blazing hot sun to contend with, there were a few technical difficulties, and the Park renovation fence was kind of all up in our grill.
But do you think any of that got us down?
Heck no. Watching customers taste our cupcakes and shakes for the first time was a joy. Plus, the Daily News and Time Out NY Kids gave us some love, as did a bunch of other blogs.
And we still had a Warm Glow going from the day before, when Al Roker received our cupcakes and mentioned us by name on the Today Show!
We’re looking forward to the holiday crowds this weekend, and to becoming a Park fixture over the next five years.
We think we can, we think we can, we think we can…
-Gina & Derek
Opening Week
All right, New York, we’re ready for you. Our cart is all wrapped, the cupcakes are frosted, the shake machine is primed. It’s party time!
Check out the schedule:
TUESDAY May 25th
We’ll be crashing the line at the Today Show at 5 AM, giving away cupcakes and coupons for free Gimme coffee (redeemable on opening day). The line is on 48th St, at the south end of the small open plaza next to Studio 1A. The waiting line is marked, stretching east down 48th St.
WEDNESDAY May 26th
Open for Business, daily
9 AM – 9 PM
Where: Northeast corner of Washington Square Park
Ribbon Cutting
Time: 11AM
The moment of truth is here and we invite all cupcake aficionados, shake lovers and anyone with a sweet tooth to come put us to the test! Be one of the first to taste this week’s flavors and get a jump on discerning your new favorites. For cupcakes, we’ll be featuring Whatchamacallit, Warm Glow, La Nonna, Yummy Nut and Heaven Split. This week’s shakes are Valhrona Chocolate, Haitian Mango and Arabica Espresso.
Kids Corner Party
Time: 4PM
Everyone is welcome, but especially parents looking for a much needed breather. While you chat with friends over a delicious treat, we have dry erase markers so your little ones can draw right on our cart. Sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and some other surprises are also in store.
We look forward to feeding you!
Gina and Derek
All photos by Patrick Boutier
Interview with David Heatley, Creative Director for Cake & Shake
What’s in there?
We’re only a couple weeks away from our grand opening in Washington Square Park. All systems are go! Seems like a good time to talk about what exactly you’ll be eating when the cart opens at the end of the month. What sets us apart from other cupcakes and milkshakes in this amazing city where we’re setting up shop (or in our case, setting up cart)?
Will you forgive us if we say love? Isn’t that the ingredient that makes your grandmother’s cooking so incredible? Isn’t it the key difference between an average and exceptional chef? The depth of care about the simplest details is what we’re all about. On the most basic level, we’re committed to the Big Five Organic (milk, butter, flour, sugar, eggs) and using real fruit in all our shakes. But the unifying concept behind everything we sell is Derek’s vision as a chef, specifically his love for subtle, layered flavors. Each and every ingredient is selected and prepared with care.
Take for example the “salted caramel,” a topping for several of our cakes and an ingredient in our Salted Caramel shake. To make it, Derek starts with sugar and heats it, dry. No liquid. This dry roast gives the caramel a more intense flavor. When the caramel reaches the right temperature, he adds English finishing salt, then pours the warm stuff into a cooling tray. Once it hardens, he breaks the caramel into chunks, then grates it as a topping for cakes like the Watchamacallit.
Tell us your mouth isn’t watering right now! Pretty soon we won’t have to describe our treats with words. Whether you’re 5 or 95, a foodie or a philistine, you’ll taste for yourself and have your socks knocked off.
See you at the opening!
Gina
The Long and Winding Road
We had a dream. We drew up plans. We applied for permits. We baked like crazy.
But seeing the Cake & Shake cart leave the All Star Carts production facility this week is finally making it all real! We feel like we’ve just given birth.
When the idea for a mobile dessert cart first came to us in early 2009, we had only a faint idea what was involved in getting our business up and running. In the last year alone, we:
• Became experts in the labyrinthian rules and regulations governing the NYC Parks Department. (Section 3, clause 9: “Thou Shalt Not Covet Thy Hot Dog Vendor’s Customers”)
• Got to understand what it takes to commit to responsible packaging. (In our case, it means tending our own compost bucket daily.)
• Worked through a rigorous logo and branding process with the help of our cart’s designer David Heatley. (Now we know what Pantone colors are. Thanks, DH!)
• Became intimately acquainted with a certain metal shop out on Long Island. (Have you ever been to Bayshore, LI? It’s lovely this time of year.)
We’ve driven or taken trains to far-flung locations throughout New York City in pursuit of our vision and now we’re finally in the home stretch. It’s amazing to us that in a few short weeks, Cake & Shake will be an actual presence in New York City, serving cupcakes and shakes in Washington Square Park. Whew!
(Cue Ain’t Nothin Gonna Break My Stride)
Hey, New York, we’re here!
Our new website is up and running, the press is all over us, and somewhere in Long Island, the first Cake & Shake cart is being fabricated as we speak. We’ve had a ton of media attention over the past two weeks. The New York Times, New York Post, New York Daily News, Fox, ABC and NBC News have all run stories about us. Upcoming press events include an interview on Martha Stewart Living Radio on April 15 (a nice way to sweeten up your tax day).
Amid all the buzz and anticipation, we just want to get the cupcakes into your hands at this point, so you can try them for yourselves. A recent batch of Mrs. Incredibles (double-decker blondie, butterscotch mousse, Tahitian vanilla meringue) really got us excited. With the goal of keeping your mouth watering for the next two or three weeks, we’ll be sharing updates pretty often, leading up to the Washington Square cart launch in late April/early May.
-Gina & Derek
If you’re just finding us for the first time, below is our mission statement:
Cake & Shake is an innovative mobile food cart that combines the current interest in well-crafted, organic cupcakes and shakes with a strong commitment to green-friendly cooking practices. Serving 20 flavors of cupcakes and eight flavors of shakes, Cake & Shake uses only certified organic milk, butter, eggs, sugar and flour in all cupcakes, and real fruit in all shakes and fillings. Our green philosophy touches every aspect of our business, from biodegradable cleaning and paper products to the carts themselves, which run on bio-diesel fuel and are equipped with six solar panels for electrical power. Ultimately, we hope to bring the Cake & Shake experience to neighborhoods across New York and in the surrounding area.
Gina Ojile, Owner
Phone: 718.383.0046
Or us.
