Cincinnati TasteCasting

So Tarte Advertising has taken on another project - Cincinnati TasteCasting - and we are lovin' it! This is a concept that was started just a few short months ago in Columbus, Ohio, and I have decided to head up the team in Cincinnati.

TasteCasting combines socially networked people and the social media platforms and applications they use to help establishments build awareness, announce grand openings, introduce new menu items, distribute special offers and encourage people to visit the establishment.

MARIBELLE CAKERY CINCINNATI
So, in Cincinnati, the TasteCasting Team has grown to over 30 team members in just a few short weeks and last night, we had our first official tasting at Maribelle Cakery in Reading. If you haven't had a cake from Maribelle Cakery, then you haven't lived. It is absolutely amazing!

Last night, 10 of us had the wonderful opportunity to meet at Maribelle and taste 4 different flavors of their new cupcakes. These cupcakes are something that have been in the development stages for nearly 6 months and just recently did Maribelle start selling them to the public. They are currently selling the cupcakes by the dozen ($38) and within the next few weeks you will be able to order them online from their website and have them delivered directly to your doorstep. Does it get any better than that?


Owner of Maribelle Cakery, Cristina Gutierrez starts by filling the team in on a little history of Maribelle and the cupcakes themselves. She tells us that her and her husband, Larry Brown, have owned Maribelle for 5 years now and just last year they converted the kitchen of Maribelle to a Kosher kitchen and everything in the cakery is now Kosher Dairy. This year, they added cupcakes to the menu and so far, they have been a huge hit.

Maribelle Cakery is known to many in Cincinnati as the premier cakery for your wedding day dessert. With some of the most elaborate designs and details that go on the cakes, it is no wonder Maribelle holds such an amazing repuation.

Recently Maribelle Cakery was named the Official Cakery Of the Cincinnati Opera! Wow - what an honor for them!

So, the 4 cupcakes that we tasted tonight were like nothing I have tried before - and I have sampled my fair share of cupcakes. In fact, I can't help but run in to Magnolia Bakery every time I am in NYC and my sister just recently hand delivered Sprinkles Cupcakes to me all the way from LA (what a sweet sister)!

The four flavors were:
• Southern Belle - Red Velvet cake with cream cheese icing

• Coco-Lava - Orange butter cake filled with Belgian dark chocolate truffle

• The Diva (created specially for the Cincinnati Opera) - White Chocolate cake filled with Madagascar vanilla bean opera cream

• Mocha Java - Dark Chocolate cake filled and topped with a Mocha icing


If I had to pick my favorite, I would actually have to pick two - the Diva and Southern Belle. I really can't decide which was better. I am not a huge chocolate lover (weird, I know), but the Mocha Java one was really quite tasty! I had asked the team what their favorite's were and everyone had differing opinions. However, I would have to say that Victor Imperi (@vimperi on Twitter) had my favorite quote of the night:

"Choosing my favorite flavor of cupcakes from Maribelle Cakery is like having to choose your favorite child - impossible."

Just a bit ago, Victor actually tweeted that he had been thinking about that statement since he left the tasting last night and now thinks it might even be harder than choosing your favorite child. :)

A huge, special thanks to Maribelle Cakery and Tina Gutierrez for allowing us to visit their Cakery and sample some of the goodness that is called cupcakes. I think everyone went home with full bellies, sugar-coated tongues and a desire to eat cupcakes from Maribelle Cakery on a daily basis.

This was a fun experience for the whole team and we are all looking forward to getting together for more tastings in the very near future. Next up - Whole Foods in Deerfield Towne Center.


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