HER MAGIC:
A SWEET SURPRISE
'Cakery' shop tucks in tasty delights
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Her 'cakery' tucks in sweet delights
HER MAGIC: WHAT'S INSIDE ...
If you haven't been to Cyn Ful Treasures in Downtown Jersey City, you don't know what you're missing. Located on York Street, a stone's throw from restaurant row on Grove Street, this sweet little establishment is one of the most innovative shops I've come across.
"When people come in they don't quite know what to make of it," said Cynthia Hankerson, the young Jersey City born and bred proprietor who opened in November.
"They want it to be a bakery, a café or a coffee shop, but it's not any of these."
Searching for the proper noun to describe her iridescent pink champagne storefront, she coined a phrase, calling it "a cakery."
Though Cyn Ful Treasures offers a lot of treats on site from homemade chocolate chip cookies to ice tea made with pineapple, Cynthia primarily specializes in custom designed cakes for special occasions. One peek at the portfolio of glossy photos of her elegant cakes reveal she's an artist who paints with food coloring pens and sculpts decorations out of moldable chocolate.
"I make everything from scratch, using the finest ingredients," Cynthia said about her cakes, noting that many are family recipes.
While she learned her craft at the French Culinary Institute and the New School in Manhattan, she credits her mom for inspiring her interest.
"I went through several Easy Bake Ovens," she laughed reminiscing about her childhood in the Greenville section of Jersey City.
Cyn Ful Treasures grew out of Taste Buds, Cynthia's part-time catering business. It's the element of surprise that drives both the business and the ingredients hidden within her scrumptious baked goods, like plump juicy raisins in the spicy delicious carrot cake or fresh fruit between the tiers of a wedding cake.
You never know what you'll find at Cyn Ful Treasures. You might discover chocolate covered strawberries or be lucky enough - like I was - to try a slice of Cynthia's amazing blueberry and peach cobbler with whipped cream. There are mini cakes from $2 to $3.75 and 6-inch cakes like strawberry short cake and chocolate mousse, perfect for small birthday parties that cost between $12 to $15.
If you want to order a custom designed cake, give Cynthia at least two to three days notice. She also makes handmade chocolate and custom designed cookies that are tiny works of art.
One thing for sure, when you visit Cyn Ful Treasures you won't be disappointed.
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The Jersey Journal
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