By Mona, Alyssa and Lea Fairbanks

And so begins our column on the adventures of a grown-up mother and her mostly grown-up daughters. Our goals are as follows: one, explore what local culture has to offer for three Edmonds ladies—and if it is unusual and fun, even better. And two, chronicle these outings and activities with a focus on the fabulous mother-daughter relationship.

First up, a caper around Edmonds to discover the best options for cupcakes! In general, we are looking for cupcakes with moist, flavorful cake and light frosting. While there are many options for cupcakes, we highlight the following three.

Our first stop was Red Petal, owned by Glenda Garcia, a brand new business in downtown Edmonds featuring in store delights and custom cakes to be found on their beautiful website. We loved the polished but fun atmosphere of the shop, and even more so that Garcia is self-taught. The cupcake options ($2.95 each) were unusual, and on the day we visited seemed to focus on a candy theme. We tried the popular “Ding-Dong” and lemon. Both were great; the “Ding-Dong” bringing back childhood memories for mom.

Although they do not currently serve gluten-free cupcakes, they are working on it. Additionally, they recycle utensils and cups.

“Everyone needs a cupcake,” said Garcia’s niece. who was helping us.

Next up was Frosted Cupcakes and Cakes by pastry chef Stefanie Buono, sold at Nama’s Candy and by special order. Buono, who graduated from Edmonds-Woodway High School, was selling cupcakes at the Saturday Market when she was noticed by Pat McKee, owner of Nama’s. And thus, Frosted at Nama’s was born—allowing locals to get cupcakes every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Buono whips up her delicious cupcakes ($3 each) at the kitchen right behind Nama’s and at the Loft, where she is also the pastry chef.

Buono rotates five to six flavors in addition to a flavor of the week. Flavors include traditional, such as the popular red velvet, and the unusual such as lime-mint. Both were absolutely delicious.

Finally, we popped into PCC Natural Markets’ Edmonds store to see what they had to offer. PCC is great option if you’re seeking out gluten-free, rice flour or vegan cupcakes (prices vary). Their gluten-free cupcakes come from an off-site company called Wheatless in Seattle; however, they make their rice flour and vegan cupcakes in store.

Popular choices include the carrot cake and chocolate vegan glazed cupcake. We tried the carrot cupcake, and it was really good.

While Red Petal, Frosted and PCC would definitely be our top picks to satisfy a cupcake craving, you can also find similar petit cakes at Red Twig, Baicha and the Edmonds Bakery.

Mona Fairbanks is a wife, mother to two wonderful daughters and an artist. She has been teaching elementary school art in Edmonds and Shoreline for the last 15 years and exhibiting her art for the last two year at the Hanson/Scott Gallery in Seattle. She is passionate about local flora and fauna and preserving the environment.
Alyssa Fairbanks recently graduated from Whitman College with a degree in history. She hopes to pursue graduate studies in law and ultimately work promoting civil and women’s rights. In the meantime, she loves to read, cook, hike and hang out with her sister.
Lea Fairbanks is a junior at the University of Portland in Oregon majoring in psychology. She is working this summer as a barista for a local coffee catering company and loving it. Last year she spent the year going to school in Austria and traveling as much as time and money would allow.