At Frost Bake Shop, the chocolate chip cookie is known, simply, as “Chocolate Chip,” and the strawberry cupcakes go by “Strawberry,” but there is nothing simple about these tasty treats! Just after their soft opening on August 15, I visited the sweet shop located in the bustling Laurelwood shopping center three times in as many days (this research is doing wonders for my physique). Greeted with a smile and a sample, the atmosphere was genuine, cheery and well, sweet! As the owner would later tell me, that is all by design as part of the total Frost experience.
There was a steady stream of treat seekers on a Thursday morning as the staff handled a variety of special orders and even a wedding cake tasting with their signature sweetness while I sat down with the baker himself, my friend, “Chef” Bill Kloos. I wanted to find out more about his new adventure and the science and soul behind creating consistently delicious confections.
“As a family we always baked, but never professionally.” In 2004, that all changed when Bill and his wife Kristi, together with his parents Bill Sr. and Lynne, decided to start All American Sweets. As Bill worked full-time as the Chef at Fleming’s, they sold desserts to local restaurants and caterers while literally housing the operation in his parents’ kitchen! Bill’s mother Lynne is famous for giving hugs generously and indiscriminately. So when the family was developing the concept for Frost, they wanted to recreate that same feeling of warmth that only a mother’s embrace can give.
Fast forward to 2013: The family is still just as involved in their labor of love. They now have a 5000 square foot production facility in Bartlett where almost 15 bakers and decorators crank out the bulk of the baking, while all of the cookies and pies are baked daily at the store, all from SCRATCH! In just the first 17 days they sold 8000 cupcakes (I can vouch for the chocolate, strawberry and red velvet), 7000 mini cupcakes, 6500 cookies (4 words: ooey. gooey. butter. cookies) and 1100 slices of cake (mmm coconut!).
I agree with the Frost philosophy that it’s what’s inside that truly matters, but their specialty cakes just happen to be beautiful, too. Bill admits, he’s no artist but he’s hired some of the best and brightest to make the outside of their cakes just as delicious as the inside. ”We were bakers first and then we hired great decorators. This year alone we will make over 300 wedding cakes,” he says.
Bill’s favorite thing to bake? “We believe that cakes are one of the most difficult things to bake from scratch. The grocery stores have whole isles dedicated to cake mixes. So, our favorite thing is cake. And although we are proud of all of our cakes, the Carrot Cake is amazing,” he says.
In a local market that enjoys some “healthy” competition, we wanted to know the secret that separates Frost’s sweets from the pack. “Our cake recipe,” says Kloos. “We dissected the recipe years ago to figure out what makes a cake moist, tender and taste good. There are no secret ingredients, but just the right equation and quality products. We do not use shortening in our cakes or frosting. All of our frostings are butter and cream cheese based.“
Frost serves up sweet treats seven days a week and they pride themselves on never running out of supplies! Need a 9-inch whole cake to impress? No problem!
And, I absolutely love that their single cupcakes are packaged in signature lime green boxes, making for the perfect little “happy” for any occasion. Frost will create custom orders in about ten days, and I’m personally looking forward to “getting Fosted” for my son’s first Birthday, soon! So, while you might not get an actual hug, unless Lynne is around, I’m confident that your Frost experience will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
