Sarah's Cake Stop Sells Cupcakes On The Go

I was nervous as I stood on a downtown street corner waiting for a drop. My contact was late. Something had gone wrong and I needed a fix. Hightailing it over to our secondary location, I waited forty-five minutes. Still nothing.

Desperately I drove around, circling the block, until finally I saw the vehicle parked down a side street. It was the Sarah's Cake Stop truck, and I was here to pick up the cupcakes I ordered on Facebook the day before.

The truck was late because it was Valentine's Day, and they had completely sold out and returned to the shop to restock the truck with raspberry truffle, champagne and strawberry, raspberry margarita and four other mouth-watering cupcake flavors. I got one of each.

Food trucks are part of the food culture in major cities across the United States; there's even been a popular show about them on the Food Network. But St. Louis has lagged behind. Only three trucks currently operate in the St. Louis area, according to the St. Louis Beacon. One of the trucks belongs to Sarah's Cake Shop in Chesterfield.

Owner Jill Umbarger opened the business in 2004 and the Chesterfield location opened in May 2010. All the baking and catering is done at the production facility in Ellisville. Umbarger and her brother, Jeff Pupillo, added the food truck in June 2010. On average, the truck sells about 150 cupcakes per day; it always sells out.

Operating a food truck in the St. Louis metro area can be challenging. Owners must be aware of each individual town's rules and regulations. Some towns aren't even sure which department—health, business licensing or something else—has jurisdiction over the food trucks.

“People don't know where to put us,” Umbarger said. “Clayton doesn't want food trucks at all. St. Louis City is good. Basically we have to keep out of high traffic areas so we're not interfering and stay away from brick and mortar stores.”

The truck doesn't stop in Chesterfield because the store is there, but they will make requested stops for office party or if a business has enough people interested in purchasing cupcakes, Umbarger said.

“With us moving to Chesterfield we're more visible, and we see great things coming from that,” Umbarger said.

With running the store and the production facility, Umbarger only has time to occasionally ride in the Cake Stop truck.

“It's different and a lot of fun,” Umbarger said. “It's exciting and people like it. I love the interaction with the customers.”

Rachel Kitchen is on the truck everyday and has been driving it and dispensing the sweet delicacies since the truck first started rolling. The majority of the cupcakes are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, Kitchen said. Customers can place specific orders on the truck's Facebook page. The flavors the truck will carry the following day are posted there, and customers can choose how many of each flavor they want.

Their customer base has only grown since the truck got rolling last year. “I've had the joy of seeing it become more and more popular,” Kitchen said.

But there's a different kind of joy that Kitchen gets everyday, one that's even more meaningful.

“Nobody ever comes to the truck and is mad,” Kitchen said. “I make everyone smile, and that's the gist of my job. I love it. I really do.”

My cupcake drop completed, I got the product home and inspected the goods. I anxiously took my first taste. Ahh. That's good stuff.

To find out where Sarah's Cake Stop is follow the truck on Facebook or Twitter.