How a “Sugar Rush” gave cupcake entrepreneur Amy Brace renewed confidence in her identity.
Dec 19, 2019
Reaching new Sugar Highs
Ah cupcakes - how we crave them, with their pretty, sprinkled, gorgeousness. What’s not to like? But, to actually bake them professionally is a whole different challenge. And to grow a business in cupcakes? That takes some serious grit, precision, and vision.
Minnesota-based Amy Brace has learned this in the 3 years since starting her wildly popular bakery, Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe in 2016. Starting with a favor for a friend’s wedding, she quickly began producing tens of cakes each summer, which gave her the confidence to leave her career in medicine behind.
Fast forward to 2019, when an appearance on Netflix’s Sugar Rush gave her invaluable publicity, but also a lesson that she needed to stay true to herself to truly succeed.
We caught up with Amy to learn more about her journey.
Amy, how did you go from being Pre-Med to starting Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe?
Growing up, I wanted to be a doctor, starting as a Pre-Med student and then changing to radiology. I was a member of the team at the University of Minnesota and did CT scans for 10 years.
In 2011, I loved to watch Cupcake Wars. I’d try making them at home, bringing them to work for feedback. I then began charity events, which gave me the chance to just practice baking in general.
In 2014, one of my high school friends asked me to do her wedding cake. I had to deliver these in February and was also invited to the wedding. I made two 2-tiered cakes and stacked them when I arrived - no dry run! Everything went right, and the cake was delicious too!
I realized that this was way more fun than poking patients. Don’t get me wrong, I was a really good tech, and loved trying to help patients have a better day. However, I was a sounding board for patients, and it began to make me sad, and I was taking it home with me.
After that first wedding cake, it only got better after that. I did many online classes, and then five weddings in 2014, and thirty-six in 2015. In 2016, we booked 60. Then in June of 2016, we opened.
How did your love of baking begin?
I started baking with my mom and grandmother when I was little – we would bake Christmas cookies. We’d get together – not to drink wine, but to see how many thousands of cookies we could make in a certain amount of time.
My mom and I loved baking, and we loved watching a British baking show called The Great British Baking Championship. We made the recipes that looked the hardest, and as we tried them, they almost always worked. I would try a new cooking recipe, and it didn't always work, but baking always worked. I began to love that feeling.
“In my mind, we were going to win! Jen and I bring out the absolute BEST in each other when we are together. Nothing can faze us under pressure.”
TV baking shows obviously gave inspiration and instruction as you developed your passion. What inspired you to apply for Netflix’s Sugar Rush and what was your experience like?
Sugar Rush reached out to me in an email. The signature included magic elves, so I wondered if it was a joke! Initially, they just wanted to know if I’d be interested in applying for the show. I completed 3-4 months of interviews, questionnaires, and legal documents. I wanted to do the show with my friend Jenn, who was seven months pregnant at the time. And, in my mind, we were going to win! Jenn and I bring out the absolute BEST in each other when we are together. Nothing can faze us under pressure.
But, the show wanted more drama – we ended up getting cut in the first round because we were not dramatic enough. Everything tasted good and was beautiful, but the other contestants had stronger personalities. In our Skype interviews, Jenn and I were always fun, boisterous, and telling funny stories. But when we work, we work very quietly. In baking, the more you talk, the more chance there is to screw something up.
“It taught me a big lesson - that I know myself.”
I felt gutted after being the first to leave the show.
I thought it was going to prove that I was a good baker. It was tough though - the show made us walk off the set 4 times. I swore A LOT, and I couldn’t hold myself together. There was nothing in my mind that said we weren’t going to at least make it to the cake round, and we didn’t.
But it taught me a big lesson - that I know myself. I am passionate to a fault – about everything. If I’m going to do something, it’s going to be with my whole heart. And I’m hard-working and willing to try new things. The more new things I try, the more I can learn.
What have been some of the highs and lows of running your own business?
I started looking in November of 2015 for a retail store location. It felt like the longest process, and I was turned down by three banks (coming from working out of my house, I had no history that was pertinent). I finally went to Venture Bank, and they (and my husband) took a chance on me.
The hardest part to learn, though, has been the ebb and flow of the business.
The highs are always wedding season – mostly summer months. We do about 90-110 weddings annually, and we are a part of people’s biggest day. Everybody there is getting a great dessert, and there is so much gratitude. The lows tend to be around our low season of winter. Foot traffic slows down, and it makes budgets tight. It’s more stressful but creates an opportunity to bring in business, and to scrub everything down.
AMY’S BAKING TEAM! LEFT TO RIGHT: KATIE, LIZZY, AMY, JENN AND KATE
What’s one message you’d like to share with the Passionados?
Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe is a place where you’ll find a social connection, and I do my best to make it feel like home. I love hearing people’s stories, and I want people to know that they can do it!
Learn more about Amy’s Cupcake Shoppe here.
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