Business & Tech

Is There Such Thing as a Healthy Cupcake? Starz Says Yes

By Brad Kava

Diabetic Cupcakes? Gluten-Free Cupcakes? 

Walking by Starz Cupcakes latest Capitola location, in the Capitola Mall, it sounded like a contradiction in terms about as big as the giant cupcake that prowls around some of their other locations.

How can the gem in the dessert food group that represents everything most mothers fear, have a healthful alter-ego? 

"We always have a healthy alternative in our four stores," says Megan Passaro, the manager of the Starz in the Mall, which opened on Black Friday last year in an ill-fated, but prime location.

For the diabetic version, she says, there is no added sugar and a non-dairy, sugar-free whipping cream. It is sweetened with fruit and is a fruit cake. The vegan cupcake also has non-dairy toppings. The daily gluten-free model uses soy as a flour, instead of wheat and comes in various flavors, including chocolate cake and  chocolate and vanilla frosting. 

They regularly rotate flavors of seven of their 19 daily varieties, which sell for $2.00 for the small ones and $3.50 for bigger ones, not an outrageous price when you figure the latte that might accompany them from somewhere else costs almost $5.

So what about that Mall location. Over the past few years, nothing has succeeded in the spot right at the center, where Santa and the Easter Bunny have been known to hang out. There was a coffee shop, a sandwich shop, a wrap shop...(what else do you remember there?) 

"The trouble is people don't come to the Mall the way they used to," says Passaro. "We did great around the holidays, but a lot of people find more variety in Gilroy or San Jose. We don't have all the sizes here. You can't find plus-sizes and even Target has less variety. People would rather waste gas and go to Gilroy."

Do you agree? What do you think of the vacancies and varieties in the Capitola Mall? 

Starz has four other locations: 1440 – 41st Avenue, Suite "B," Capitola, CA 95010; 224 Esplanade, Capitola Village; and Downtown Santa Cruz at Pacific & Cathcart (more on Cathcart than Pacific - Directly across the street from Kiantis; and inside Yogizmo Yogurt at 1717 Mission Street. 



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