Interview With Melanie Studer – Cupcake Affair

At the end of 2010 we emailed a series of questions to Melanie Studer who had just opened Cupcake Affair. We are please to present her answers here. Tell us a little about yourself, are you originally from Zurich? I am actually from Basel and only moved here two years ago after travelling the world and living in the UK, like Zurich, there is a certain buzz about it plus I like the international influence here, which you don't get as much in other Swiss towns. While you were away, what did you miss about Zurich? actually only moved to Zürich two years ago after living in the UK for 2 years, but I certainly did miss Switzerland whilst I was away. In particular I missed the distinct four seasons we have here, the high quality of life (countless activities to do around the year), the delicious bread and not to forget - the Swiss-made chocolate. What about Cupcake Affair? How did that come about? Well, I guess like all ideas, it came from a feeling of frustration!After completing a hotel management school in Switzerland,

Then the thought came - why is there nothing like this in Switzerland? My long-term dream had always been to open my own cafe or shop, so I thought that this was an opportunity that I couldn't miss. So for the past year I have been working around the clock trying to get the product right and to find the right venue in Zürich (no easy job!)What does Cupcake Affair offer expats in Zurich?Cupcake Affairis the first cupcake shop in Zürich and even the second one in whole of Switzerland. It offers a different kind of food experience in a less traditional, more trendy and exciting ambiance. For some American expats it might even bring memories of home.We make each cupcake by hand in our kitchen, so we also hope to capture at least a little of that home-baked feel. Our shop is cosy and our team is small, so we would hope too that we could offer a personal kind of service. We also take orders and can deliver to the whole of Zürich city.  All in all, we are aiming to make people happy with our delicious and tempting little cakes! Finally, do you have any Zurich secrets? As we've just opened, Cupcake Affair is still an unknown secret to most people in Zürich at this moment but we hope it doesn't stay that way for long! Many thanks to Melanie. You can find Cupcake Affair at Spitalgasse 12, Zürich and at http://www.cupcake-affair.ch/