Claudia McGuiness’ The Cupcake Lounge is an overnight success twenty years in the making. It all started with a passion and a hobby that Claudia pursued in her early days in Mexico for nothing more than the delicious pleasure of it.
Emigrating to Canada, finding love and raising a family here, Claudia’s passion once again surfaced as she baked a cupcake cake for her son’s third birthday and that, as they say was genesis. The cupcake cake was such a hit, that it launched Claudia into the business of baking on a small scale as she created her signature cakes and pastries for her ever growing circle of friends and fans.
A kindergarten teacher by trade and a devoted mom to her children, Claudia had a decision to make as her youngest, her daughter, prepared for her first day of school. What was to be the next chapter in Claudia’s adventure? Ultimately, Claudia did decide to go back to school but not as a kindergarten teacher but rather as a student herself… Dropping her daughter off for the first day of school with all the pride and tears and trepidation that come with such a moment in a parent’s life, Claudia packed not one but two lunches that day and headed off to her first day of pastry school at Algonquin College.
Fast forward to the present and Claudia has thriving locations in both Westboro and the Byward Market and there is talk of a third if fate will have it.
Quality, community, passion, giving back and integrity are words and sentiments that one feels as Claudia speaks. As we sit in the window of the Cupcake Lounge Westboro, I see Claudia’s story of community and quality unfolding not only in her words but in my eyes. We are interrupted several times by passersby waving and smiling at Claudia, and she returns every one of them with an authenticity that is one of Claudia’s hallmarks. The environment is filled with the beautiful aromas of the cupcakes, treats and coffee that lie within and there is a quality and an organic, elemental feel baked into the store, the branding and certainly into the treats that are on order.
Claudia is part of the fabric of the communities that she serves with a very special, all natural, handcrafted product made by loving hands. From the ethical treatment of her bakers who have benefits under Claudia’s tutelage, to the several charities that Claudia and The Cupcake Lounge are involved in, there is a legacy here that goes beyond cupcakes. There is a sense of community and giving back in all that Claudia does and one need look no further than the window into The Cupcake Lounge where Claudia warmly engages with the legions of her fans that call Westboro home for a taste of community, Claudia style.