
Who is Hello, Cupcake!?
Alan Richardson and Karen Tack are the best-selling authors of Hello,
Cupcake! and What's New, Cupcake?, the cookbooks that have created a
revolution in cupcaking. Using ordinary candy and snacks, a few everyday
kitchen tools, a little good old fashioned ingenuity, and a dollop of
fun, the two have turned the cake decorating world on it's head with
extraordinary cupcake designs that beg the question “is this really a
cupcake?” They have been working together for two decades to create
sophisticated yet comical treats for the covers of America's favorite
magazines. Their talent for using candy and snacks for decorations grew
out of their need to create cupcake designs that were so easy anyone
could make them. Their big revelation, a marshmallow circus peanut
already looks like a goldfish, led them to discover that candy and
snacks have color, shape, and texture that make decorating a snap. They
feel that candy already knows what it can be, you just need to reveal
it.
Their appearances on The Martha Stewart Show, The Rachael Ray Show, The
Paula Deen Show, The Early Show, and many visits to the TODAY Show have
made them America's cupcake celebrities. The two have toured cooking
schools, festivals, expos, and state fairs across the country and love
demonstrating how to be a candy detective and find the right candy for
the right design.
Called “The Cake Whisperer” by Gourmet Magazine, Karen trained at the
Culinary Institute of America and worked in restaurant kitchens before
starting her magazine career at Cook's Magazine. She soon revealed a
penchant for food styling and a love of baking and sweets that have made
her one of the top stylists in the country.
Alan studied at The Art Student's League and has worked as an art
director, a photographer, a book designer, and a writer. In addition to
Hello, Cupcake! and What’s New, Cupcake? Alan has co-authored The Four
Season of Italian Cooking and The Breath of a Wok for which he received
The 2005 Best International Cookbook Award from IACP as well as The Jane
Grigson Award.
Karen and Alan's creations have appeared in Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Real
Simple, Food and Wine, Cook's Illustrated, Everyday With Rachael Ray,
Martha Stewart Living, The New York Times Magazine, COLORS, Esquire, GQ,
Washington Post Magazine, Family Circle, Taste of Home, Woman's Day,
Good Housekeeping, Ladies Home Journal, All You, Family Fun, Nick Jr.,
and many more. Their mega-hit books Hello, Cupcake! and What's New,
Cupcake?, Cupcakes, Cookies & Pie, Oh, My! have introduced them to millions of cupcakers.