Cupcake Sisters Katherine and Sophie Kallinis Talk to Halogen

The Cupcake Diaries: Q&A With The Ladies of Georgetown Cupcakes

By Courtney Lochner | January 12, 2012 at 10:00 am

cupcake diaries book They picked the perfect day to open a cupcake shop. It was Valentine’s Day in 2008 when Katherine Kallinis and Sophie Kallinis flipped the “open” sign of their brand-new shop, a risky endeavor that would lead them to adventures they could have never imagined. Leaving behind their rock solid corporate jobs is always risky but these ladies struck gold (with frosting on top). Ever since the opening of Georgetown Cupcake they have been living in the fast lane garnering praise from none other than Oprah Winfrey and Martha Stewart, basically the equivalent of an Academy Award for their cupcake performance. Starring on TLC’s “DC Cupcakes” then led to their book, The Cupcake Diaries: Recipes and Memories from the Sisters of Georgetown Cupcake. We caught up with the smart sisters to learn more about life in the frosted fast lane.

What were your dream jobs growing up – was owning a cupcake shop, writing a book or starring in your own show ever in your childhood fantasies?

We had always dreamed of opening a bakery together, ever since we were little girls. However, we always thought it would be a quiet little bakery. We never in our wildest dreams expected to have our own television show or write a book!

Take us through the moments where you realized that you were ready to leave behind your steady jobs and take on this risk.

We had a very honest conversation and asked ourselves: Are we willing to give everything up, including all of our savings, and potentially have to start all over again if we were to go out of business? And we said “yes.” We thought that if we didn’t do this now, we were never going to do it and we didn’t want to spend the rest of our lives wondering “What if?” So, for us, the risk was worth it.

What were the biggest unexpected challenges and the greatest unexpected rewards of following your dream and starting shop?

The ironic thing was that we thought that in running a bakery together, we’d have better hours than in our previous jobs — when in fact, you get no sleep at all running a bakery that is open seven days a week! Now, we thrive on being crazy busy so we enjoy it. One of the best things about having a bakery, that was somewhat unexpected, is the ability to make people happy, in a tangible way, every single day, in a way that we really could not in our previous jobs. We love being able to give back to the community and something as small as a cupcake can really lift someone’s day. We recently completed our second annual “Operation Cupcake” where we donate and ship 10,000 cupcakes to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan and the warm thank yous we receive from the troops make it all worth it. For them, receiving a little bit of “home” makes their day a little sweeter and we’re so happy we can help have a positive impact like that…even with something as small as a cupcake.

“We love being able to give back to the community and something as small as a cupcake can really lift someone’s day.”

What do you hope to bring readers with this book?

We hope that our book brings families together in the kitchen to bake together. For us, baking with our grandmother was such a huge part of our childhood – and it was a way we bonded. We hope that readers can take our recipes and have fun baking them with their grandmothers, mothers, sisters and brothers – that’s what it’s all about.

What’s next?

We are keeping very busy! We’ll be opening a Georgetown Cupcake in the Soho neighborhood of New York City in the next several weeks and in Boston in the Spring! And stay tuned for all-new episodes of DC Cupcakes on TLC in the New Year!

Favorite all-time cupcake?

Katherine: Toss-up between Salted Caramel and Peanut Butter Fudge.

Sophie: Chocolate Hazelnut.

One piece of advice for Halogen TV readers?

If you have a dream – whether it’s starting a bakery or starting another type of business – go for it! Don’t be scared to take that leap of faith. If you have a passion for something, you will do well!