Esther Eisenberger

How were you zocheh to get into the cupcake business?

I always made cakes, but I wasn’t one of those kids who spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Years ago, I saw a thing about making a parshah dessert, so I decided to try a Kri’as Yam Suf cupcake. I separated the buttercream on top and put gummy people in the middle. Then I did a grape jelly-filled cupcake for the Meraglim. I also enjoyed making cupcakes with interesting flavors, like salted caramel, s’mores, and key lime.

Eventually I started sculpting more toppers and making a parshah-themed cupcake for my family every week. I had a huge email and text list of people who wanted to see pictures of my weekly cupcake. I would add a short blurb about the flavor and design, and how it connected to the parshah.

People who saw my pictures began asking me to personalize cupcake gifts for loved ones, so I created a “My Favorite Things” cupcake gift, a set of 12 different cupcakes, each topped with a different love, talent, or hobby associated with the cupcake recipient. I work with the gift giver to make sure the design I choose for a particular cupcake best represents it.

Wow, that sounds like a ton of work. Where did you get the talent to start designing your cupcakes?

I’ve been drawing ever since I was a little girl. I was an art major in college, and I love to sculpt. Currently, when I’m not making cupcakes, I teach art to preschoolers in TAG Elementary School. To clarify, I don’t teach arts and crafts — I teach things like Monet theory, pointillism, and pop art. The children get to practice pretty advanced techniques with those little hands!