The Newport shop, which celebrated its grand opening April 1, 2011, is Cupcake Charlie's third and largest New England location. If the name sounds familiar, you're probably a viewer of the Food Network's Cupcake Wars, which tapped this New England bakery to compete for cupcake supremacy in 2010. Cupcake Charlie's was ultimately bested, but the television show proved a huge boost.
Penny Lessa, who co-owns Cupcake Charlie's with her husband, Dan, was touched by the outpouring of support from miffed Cupcake Wars fans, who emailed and posted on Cupcake Charlie's Facebook page. "I hate to say it, but I definitely feel like we were robbed," she says, though she smiles and quickly adds: "I'm not bitter. It was a great experience. It definitely gave us a lot of exposure."
