About Portland: Cupcake Maker's Ideas on Community are Not Half-Baked

Anjelica Hayes is a 26-year-old maker of cupcakes who knows it's unlikely that she will change the world. That is in no way discouraging her from trying.

"It's so important to be a part of the community," she says Tuesday, an energy in her voice that seems capable of powering the neighborhood in Southeast Portland where she just opened her second Fat Cupcake shop. The first one is in Oregon City.

"That's so much of what drives us. Being here for people, for the moments in their lives - their weddings, their babies, their birthdays - the moments they want to share."

Hayes opened her shop on Southeast 72nd Avenue one month ago - just about two years after opening her first shop in Oregon City.

"It's been a journey," she says. "And it's still very early."

Hayes grew up in Happy Valley. Her dad's family was the first black family in the city. Here;s why that's relevant. She grew up in one of the few black families in a very white area. She is now one of the few black business owners in an area that used to have more. And she now finds herself accused of racism.

It all has to do with her best-selling cupcake - the Mr. President.

Hayes says she had not started out to be a baker so when she decided to open up a cupcake shop, she decided her shtick would be to put twists on conventional cupcakes.

“I started putting things in them,” she says. “Cookies. Peanut butter cups. More cookies, And then one day we decided to put Oreo cookies in the cupcake and they were delicious.”

“The question was, what to call them,” she says. “We were thinking along the black and white theme. We already had a cupcake called the suit and tie and we didn’t like the tuxedo so we started thinking of important jobs where you have to dress up.

“And suddenly we thought of the Oval Office. And then. Mr. President.”

Hayes says it really wasn’t about President Obama.

“It was more about the job than the man,” she says though she likes him and would love if he were to have a cupcake (and like it).

The Mr. President quickly became the best selling cupcake in her shops. And no one really thought anything about it.

Until last week when someone went on Yelp and suggested the cupcake was racist - Oreo does have a history of being used as a derogatory term - and suggested boycotting the store.

“I want to be clear,” Hayes says. “I am not trying to beat up on this guy. He is entitled to think what he thinks. I do wish, however, that he had taken the time to seek me out, hear me out. I am many things but, racist? Nope.”

Hayes is a smart woman.

“I’m not looking to upset people,” she says. “ That goes against everything I believe in, everything I want to accomplish with my business. It’s just not who I am.”

So, for now. The Mr. President remains on the menu - you don’t get rid of your number one selling item. But, for now, anyway, it’s called The Professional.

“It really end very upsetting to me to be accused of racism,” she says. “Not the least of all because of who I am. But I understand that anyone can be racist. The thing is, though, my whole belief, my principles are about bringing people together, being part of a community.”

Hayes says that she wants people to see her shop less as a business and more a part of an extended family.

“It’s so important that people come in and feel at home,” she says. “As important as it is that the cupcakes taste great, it is also that important that people experience that sense of togetherness.”

Hayes says the best moments have been when people to come in to share part of their lives with her.

“A woman came in the other day with her baby and the next I know I’m holding the baby,” she says.

Hayes is also doing community outreach - but not your usual marketing.

“I bought a cupcake costume on Amazon,” she says. “And every now and then I dress up as Fat Trisha and read at the local elementary school. It’s so rewarding to give back.”

Hayes has also started giving back by giving away cupcakes.

“I call it the Peace of Cake Movement,” she says. “We go around at night to places where the homeless are and give them cupcakes, give them cakes. We bring forks and write them notes letting them know that they are loved. They are not alone.”

Hayes says that she knows giving someone a cupcake may not be the healthiest thing, that she’s not giving blankets or a bowl of soup.

“A cupcake is a cupcake but it can also be more,” she says. “It is a gift, a symbol that someone cares.”

Hayes has also made it a tradition to give away 1,000 cupcakes for every year that she is in business. She asks customers to suggest charities to receive the yumminess. The first year, she gave away 1,000. Last year, 2,000. Next year it will be 3,000.

“It’s important,” she says. “You need to love your community. You need to believe that you can make a difference.”

Photos courtesy Fat Cupcake