We will take you back to a time when baking was a true art. Many of these recipes have been handed down for generations. This is where our story begins and how our family arrived to California, how these recipes were handed down through generations and how our family has had a history of amazing bakers.
Many of the recipes STARZ Cupcakes use every day, date back as far as my Great-Great-Great Grandmother and in some cases to Grandma Arthur's mother which as you continue to read our generational history you will begin to understand how the history and recipes actually begin and come to life.
This journey began with Benjamin Arthur, who was born in Ohio. He arrived in California on the Chilies-Walker wagon train. His friend and his friends parents who lived in Rhode Island agreed to send his 10 year old sister, Elizabeth Virginia Wilkeson to assist Benjamin out to California as the cook and baker for the hands on the ranch. Elizabeth got on a wagon train by herself with two items; a bag of clothes and her mother's recipes which her mother knew she was going to need in her new career as the cook and baker. Elizabeth and her mother had written her recipes in a journal which included recipes for dinners such as: chicken, beef, pork and desserts, pies and cake recipes, of which STARZ Cupcakes use some of these recipes to bake their cupcakes each and every day. Just a bit more history - As years went by Benjamin Arthur and Elizabeth Virginia Wilkenson were married and in 1847 headed to mine the Feather River while settling in Covelo, Mendocino Conty where the Indian reservation now stands.
To the right is a picture of their daughter (my great-great grandmother) Nancy "Minnie" Arthur-Crabtree born in 1869 and died in 1954. She is pictured here in 1885 at the cookhouse of Camp 27 for Powerhouse Gas and Electric Company near Trinidad, California. It has been documented that she used recipes from her mother and her grandmother.
Hazel Crabtree born in 1891 and died in 1978; is pictured here in 1906 at the age of 15. She was a cook/baker with her mother Nancy "Minnie" (pictured directly above). Hazel, under her mothers direction was in charge of Camp 29 for the same Powerhouse Gas and Electric Company north of Eureka, California.
She met my great grandfather at this time and they were married in the small town of Shively. They had two daughters, Clara and Mable, and eventually moved to southern California where she worked for See's Candies as a cook in the mid 1920's and later worked at The Hotel Constance as a baker. She eventually opened a restaurant of her own in downtown Pasadena, which was quite popular. Then the depression hit.
By the mid 1940's she worked as a baker at Bullock's Department Store in Pasadena. She later became the cook/baker for an affluent couple in Altadena, California.
My grandmother Mable born in 1909 and died in 1993; was hired and worked at the exclusive Valley Hunt Club in Altadena where she was taught special catering techniques and was recruited within this special catering group of the Valley Hunt Club that was sent to the Casino on Catalina Island where she worked the night away with the likes of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Fred Astair, Dick Haymes and other specialty entertainers that were exclusively for the wealthy, powerful and elite in the era of the early 1930's through the mid 1940's.
After the war they moved to Fortuna, California and bought a restaurant called the "Students Inn Cafe", which was a very popular hang-out. She was able to take generations of her families recipes and combined this with her newly aquired talents for catering and event planning.
Eventually they moved to Felton, California where one day she peddled her bicycle to Costella's Chalet, which was a new restaurant being built in the downtown area. She was hired and was soon put in charge of many of the employees of the newly built and instantly popular; from the day it opened, in the small town of Felton. She worked there for the next 26 years and became most everyones favorite employee with her high energy and smile that all the locals enjoyed coming into visit as much as Costella's fabulous food, atmosphere and entertainment of the ever popular Bob Judd Quartet.
My mother Alice at 17 in front of my Grandparents restaurant called the "Students Inn Cafe" in Fortuna, California. They had this restaurant for several years. My mother Alice married my father Bob in 1947. She worked at the Headliner Coffee Shop and at the Piccolo Restaurant in Pasadena, California.
They had three children, I being the youngest, and it was during this time that we (my mother and I, Lisa) lived with my great grandmother, Hazel. She (my great grandmother) immediately pulled me into the kitchen. I baked my first peach cobbler at the age of 4. My great grandmother would have me push a chair up to the spice cabinet and get out the appropriate spices which were placed in alphabetical order; this is how I began learning my alphabet. Allspice, Basil, Bay Leaves...
In May 1965 my mother re-married a local Real Estate man, Ed Hansmann. We moved next door to his brother (John) and his wife (Ione) and their 6 kids. We immediately went into massive birthdays and holiday blow-outs. Our new Aunt Ione was an incredible baker. She baked the most amazing cinnamon rolls, cookies, "goodie" treats and cakes imaginable.
We had a combined 9 kids and with Aunt Ione's inspiring mid-west cooking and my mother's generations of 100 plus years of cooking recipes we believe we have enough to launch some of the most "Awww" inspiring cupcakes you will ever tasted.
Five years after getting married Walter and Lisa Brighton had their first daughter Stephanie (pictured to the left), this was taken in 1983 at 5 years old.
Connie follows 6 1/2 years after that. Their girls... as in generations past took early on into working their way in and around the kitchen. Pictured here to the right in 1988 is Connie at 3 years old. Little did we realize that she would be the Executive Baker at Starz Cupcakes.
In the year 2009 Walter and Lisa's grandsons (Stephanie's two boys) Robbie Christopher, age 6, and Michael Edward, age 3, are already volunteering to be the official "tasters" of Starz Cupcakes.
Uncle John and Aunt Ione Hansmann were our next door neighbors and the parents of 6 children Mike, Ann, Tommy, Joey, Steve, & Jimmy. Aunt Ione came from Minnesota and had that old fashion midwest baking up-bringing. You could never walk thru the backdoor into their kitchen without her baking something. Some days it was her awe-inspiring cinnamon rolls, other days it was her cookies, goodies and other days it was her fabulous cakes.
What makes us different than any other cucpake shop you might run across? We have taken a combination of 7 generations of cake receipes and put them into cupcakes and serve them to you, our customers; each and every day. We are taking you back to a time when backing was a true art.
Hours of Operation:
Open: Sunday - Thursday: 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Friday & Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Capitola Village - Open 11:00 am daily
We do close earlier if we have "sold out"
Capitola Mall (If the Mall is open "so are we")
Check their Mall Hours anytime: http://www.shopcapitolamall.com/
We may run out in some locations but...Our mall location ALWAYS has cuppies.
Starz Cupcakes has now opened our very first "Satellite" Location inside Yogizmo on the westside of town at 1717 Mission Street. How does our Satellite location differ from our other locations that sell our cuppies? Well... our Satellite location carries all 19 flavors just like our main store on 41st Avenue and Capitola Village; including gluten free, diabetic and Weight Watchers. Our customers have made the requests and we have heard you loud and clear so out of respect to you, our customers, your options await your arrival, so stop in today at Yogizmo on Mission Street and have a Starz Cupcake and guess what... it's called one stop shopping, you may also want a yogurt as well.
Starz Cupcakes
(831) 464-8911
Email your questions or orders to: info@starzcupcakes.com
and
Starz Cupcakes
Capitola Village
(831) 462-2911
Email your questions or orders to: info@starzcupcakes.com
and
Starz Cupcakes
Capitola Mall (On the Corner near the Fountain)
Email your questions or orders to: info@starzcupcakes.com
and
Starz Cupcakes
Downtown Pacific & Cathcart
(more on Cathcart than Pacific - Directly across the street from Kiantis
1717 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 466-9976Email your questions or orders to: info@starzcupcakes.com
and
Starz Cupcakes
Inside Yogizmo Yogurt
1717 Mission Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
(831) 466-9976Email your questions or orders to: info@starzcupcakes.com
