Daily News

Cupcake Maven to Keynote Professional Women’s Chamber Luncheon

SPRINGFIELD — Tracy Noonan, co-owner of Wicked Good Cupcakes, will keynote the Headline Luncheon of the Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Greater Springfield’s affiliate, the Professional Women’s Chamber (PWC), on Wednesday, March 18, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carriage House at Storrowton Tavern, 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield. Noonan and her daughter, Danielle Vilagie, took their Cohasset-based cupcake baking company national after appearing on the ABC hit show Shark Tank.

Wicked Good Cupcakes began when the mother-daughter team took cake-decorating classes as a way to spend quality time together. After posting their work online for friends and family, they found themselves being asked to create cupcakes for various events. The demand for their product became so high that they opened their first retail location in Cohasset in October 2011.

As the reputation of their product grew, they found themselves getting hundreds of requests to ship their product across the country. However, they could not find a way to effectively ship cupcakes and have them arrive intact and fresh. That’s when they came up for the idea of a cupcake in a jar. Filling jars with freshly baked layers of cake, frosting, and filling, they were able to create a product that would stay fresh up to 10 days without refrigeration and could be easily shipped.

The company’s popularity quickly grew, and, in 2013, Noonan and Vilagie appeared on Shark Tank, striking a deal with Boston-based shark Kevin O’Leary of O’Leary Ventures, and expanding their business by more than 600%, including a new retail location in Faneuil Hall in Boston and expanded facilities to handle online orders. In addition to cupcakes, the company’s product line now also includes gluten-free options, as well as pies, cheesecakes, and brownies in a jar, as well as French macaroons.

Advance reservations for the luncheon are suggested and cost $25 for PWC members and $35 for general admission. Register online at www.myonlinechamber.com or by e-mailing [email protected]. PWC members who are season-pass holders must pre-register for the event by emailing [email protected].