The Facade of Sweet Revenge

We’ve all felt this way: you have been working way more than your 40 weekly hours, getting great results and BAM all of the sudden there is new management and you get laid off. For many this is a nightmare; for others, the chance of a lifetime.

This was the case with Marlo Scott, owner of NYC’s newest cupcake & wine bar, Sweet Revenge.  Marlo worked in the media doing sales and marketing for years. That was completely different from the world of food deliveries, wine purchases and baking; but her experience in the corporate world prepared her for the world of the restauranteur.

Marlo was inspired by Magnolia Bakery. It was close to her home and she quickly became addicted to their creations. It was an incredible business model that sparked a desire for something different. That same year she moved to the West Village, was passed up for a promotion and started thinking about opening up her own cupcake place. Shortly after, she received her promotion and went back to the grind of the corporate world.

She took advantage of this time to start prepping for her dream. She started by taking classes at the Institute for Culinary Arts, the New School, writing business plans and doing research on how to best achieve her goals. Then, all of the sudden, new management came in and she was laid off.

This was just the push she needed. Sometimes it is hard for us to get out of the comfort zone to really follow our desires and dreams. Marlo said she “knew immediately that I would not go do another job search or subject myself to a work environment as I experienced it. I was going to create my own fabulous work environment and make people happy”.

She had been perfecting her cupcake making daily, much to the delight of her very lucky friends. She started the search in the end of 2005 and had perfected her recipe by late spring 2006. Marlo tells me “I just sucked, they were horrible”. They sure are not horrible now.

Marlo gives credit to the people of the Carmine Street Association. They welcomed her and gave her tips on things such as how to attain a beer and wine license.

The vibe of the place is bistro-esque, not what you would normally think of as a bakery. There are a couple of reasons for this. At first she was thinking of a very family friendly place for moms and kids. Once she started studying demographics, she noticed that there were men as women coming into these types of shops, and not necessarily accompanied by children. “You really can learn a lot by observation”.

Marlo also noticed something that was key, décor played a key role in the success of restaurants. The French bistro concept seemed to succeed. She read up on Keith McNally (Balthazar) someone she truly admires. She looked at some of her favorite places such as Café Noir. They drew and retained their clients by utilizing color, texture and sound. Many times it made the difference between failure and success between two restaurants on the same block.

Her observations have certainly paid off. Sweet Revenge is inviting, sophisticated, relaxed and unpretentious. It is a place you could go to on a date, with friends or just drop into for an indulgence. When you walk in you will unconsciously sway to the rhythm of Ibrahim Ferrer, Gypsy Kings and Bossa Nova as you bite into the dirty or the Mexican vanilla crusted walnuts.

Marlo’s Vanilla cupcakes: 24 - 30 cupcakes

1 ½ cup self rising flour

1 1/3 cup all purpose

2 sticks butter softened

2 cups sugar

3 TBS vanilla

5 eggs

1 cup milk

With a mixer, whip the softened butter first, then add eggs and sugar while continuing to mix. Alternate mixing in flour and milk, then add vanilla.

Bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes, check every couple of minutes toward the end with a toothpick so as not to overbake.

You can jazz up this recipe easily by swapping out and/or adding ingredients. Its a simple base recipe that I like to use when doing "product development" :). For example, to create an Eggnog cupcake, simply substitute eggnog for the milk and throwing in a tsp each of cinnamon and nutmeg.

 


Mexican Crusted Almonds



Caribbean Cocktail with Crimson and Cream Cupcake



The Bar at Sweet Revenge



Prepping cupcakes