Loganville Cupcake Warriors Humbled By The Experience

Although disappointed they didn’t get past the first round, Tara Tomlinson of Loganville bakery said she is both "humbled by and grateful for" her participation in Season 3 of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars.

“I’m most of all humbled by it,” Tomlinson said. “It’s a lot easier to watch and say what you think should be done. It was way more difficult and stressful than I had expected.”

Tomlinson and her husband, Brad, were in the opening episode of Season 3 of the cooking reality show that aired Tuesday, but they got knocked out in the first challenge. The four contestants had to make cupcakes that contained a mint flavor as well as a shot of alcohol, and the combination used by Sugar Kneads was not what the judges were looking for. Had they won, the Tomlinsons would have gone on to prepare 1,000 cupcakes for the Kentucky Derby.

Prior to the episode airing, Tomlinson could not say what the outcome was due to contractual obligations, but now that it's been revealed, she said leaving so early in the game was obviously disappointing.

“I cried, as you could see on the show,” she said. “It is disappointing to go so early because you know you could do so much more but didn’t get the chance to.”

However, Tomlinson said they are grateful for having made it as far as they did.

“They wouldn’t tell us how many people applied, but I know it was well into the thousands,” she said. “We obviously wanted to bring home the win for Loganville and live up to what the other resident (Nona Sivley) who won Hell’s Kitchen last year did, but we’ve had such an outpouring of support from our customers here. It’s very humbling. They’ve been so supportive.”

On Facebook pages and the Loganvilleonline message board, local residents have expressed their disappointment in the results, but not in their support of the bakery.

“Who wants booze in their cupcakes anyway,” one poster wrote. “Well, we in Loganville know they’re great anyway.”

Tomlinson said knowing the outcome, the didn’t have a big party the night the episode aired, but all systems are still go for the cupcake eating contest and family fun day in support of Loganville’s public safety officials Saturday.

“We’ll be having our big celebration then for the town and some of the other things that are great about Loganville,” she said.

The Grand Opening celebration at the new location of Sugar Kneads in Sizemore Plaza is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. Saturday. Proceeds raised will go towards Walton County Emergency Medical Services and the and