Editor's Notebook: A Promise Made at the Cupcake Corral

"A promise made is a debt unpaid," said the poet, so this editor and her favorite cowpokes saddled up for a trip to Cupcake Corral. Newly open, Joe Ramaikas's bakery and coffee shop is on the well-worn trail to and from school for many South Mountain, Jefferson, and middle school kids from both towns. In addition, South Ridgewood Road sees both the Marshall and Jefferson buses pass twice daily with countless cupcake lovers aboard.

"The day it's open," I told a few Jefferson School alums from both Maplewood and South Orange. "We're there. I promise."

Ramaikas previewed the new store and its wares for Patch on Friday before the Saturday opening. He predicts that coffee and all flavors of cupcakes will be the big sellers. "I'm so excited," he said repeatedly, showing the very first baked goods that Cupcake Corral has on offer, pecan, cherry and chocolate chip cookies.

The Corral's cupcakes are tributes to the greats of C&W music. "The King" is a banana-peanut butter combo named for Elvis. "Johnny" is chocolate on chocolate, a tribute to the "Man in Black." 

All flavors seemed to move briskly out the door on Saturday, along with coffee, mandelbrot, and muffins galore. The store's tin ceiling has been painted white, the walls a mustard yellow, and two long wooden tables mark the length of the corral.

The coffee options include cappuccinos and such, but the regular cowboy coffee was mighty tasty. As for the baked goods, my own must-have is the "Tammy," a vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting.

Why? Even at the dizzying height of her success, Tammy Wynette renewed her beautician's license every year. Under the froth of blond curls, Wynette was solid that way, just like a good cupcake.

With or without my sidekicks, I'll be back for more.

The Cupcake Corral is open 7 a.m. until 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday. 

The poem quoted is "The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service."