By Brandi Stroud

Ganache

Ganache opened on Dec. 2, 2011.

“You’re in for a treat,” one Ganache customer says to another after admitting she is a first time customer.

The setting is perfect for a friendly meet up or first date. That is sure to get you a sweet kiss at the end of the night.

I sit at one of the booths savoring the delicious meatball calzone and its crispy crust. Sipping on my Lady Grey tea, I try not to rush this experience before slicing into the salted caramel cupcake.

Coffee, cupcakes, wine, beer? What more can a girl ask for? This is one article I don’t mind writing.

Located in Parker Square, Ganache has the perfect modern chic design setting and friendly service.

This is the place you can come with friends, push the tables together and have a conversation over coffee and cupcakes. The perks of the big city has come to the area in a very delicious way.

“We make everything from scratch,” Katie Woitalla, co-owner of Ganache says. “Nothing comes out of boxes and the cupcakes are made fresh every morning.”

Red velvet, peanut butter cup, salted chocolate caramel, electric bunny, cafe mocha, pbj, strawberry shortcake, and lemon drops are just some of the many unique flavors they have to offer.

Their flavors change each week giving you a whole new experience to enjoy.

One unique flavor, maple bacon, has a vanilla spice cake with maple frosting and, yes; it’s topped with bacon.

“What makes us have such quality is we give our bakers a lot of room for creativity to experiment,” Woitalla says.

Woitalla shows me a “tweet” from Pastor Bob McCartney on Twitter:

“Maple bacon cupcake at Ganache. One bite. Can’t believe this works, but it does.”

“We are constantly looking for novel gourmet flavors,” Woitalla says. “We get inspiration from candy bars, pies, and everywhere we can. Our bakers are awesome.”

That they certainly are. You can taste the quality of ingredients that they use in every bite.

I would say “I could die happy after eating here” but then I would miss next weeks new flavors, and that is just not acceptable.

My personal favorite is the salted chocolate caramel: chocolate cake with caramel frosting, and their signature ganache sauce drizzled on top, with a sprinkle of sea salt.

“Chocolate salted caramel is a thing right now. It brings out the flavor of the chocolate and caramel,” says Elizabeth Custer, employee of Ganache. When you go to Ganache, add this flavor to your must try list.

A new customer won’t just find “sweets” at Ganache but a scrumptious variety of freshly made “savories” which are petite-size meals that are filling. They offer different “savories” each week such as flat bread pizzas, meatball calzones, monte cristos, soups, salads, and more.

Their flatbread pizza is the popular “savory” to try with super thin garlic bread, mozzarella, and sundried tomatoes, it is a little slice of heaven presented on a plate.

When people hear “gourmet” they usually think “expensive.” Ganache gives you the gourmet experience without busting your bank account.

For less than ten dollars you can have your choice of soup or salad, a savory, and a sweet plus a non-alcoholic beverage such as sweet tea; great for anyone with a budget, especially a college student like myself.

Don’t forget to ask about their wonderful wine pairings for the “sweet” and “savories.” The staff is more than happy to point you in the right direction.

“Wine is made to be paired with food,” Andrea Zellner, manager of Ganache, says.“There are dessert wines for a reason,” Woitalla agrees.

Sit back in satisfaction and loosen your belt a little.

Ganache gets a grade ‘A’ service in my book.

T.G.S.

T.G.S. Cupcakery opened on Dec. 17, 2011.

“Our atmosphere is a place where you can come in and hang out with friends or study,” Aerial Thane, co-owner of T.G.S. Cupcakery, says.

If you are looking for a quiet family-friendly or study-friendly place to grab some plate-licking-good cupcakes then head over to T.G.S. Cupcakery located in University Village and Lofts across from Midwestern State University.

Aerial Thane and Chelsie Polk are sisters and co-owners of T.G.S. Cupcakery, or The Good Samaritan Cupcakery.

Thanes sister, Polk, is a 2009 MSU graduate and Thane is finishing up her degree at the end of August.

Their name comes from the story of the Good Samaritan from the Bible which can tell a lot about their type of business as well.

“We are a Christian-based business and we want to give back to the community,” Thane says.

Each quarter Thane and her sister try to support a different non-profit organization through their business.

Last quarter T.G.S. supported the Food Bank, gathering 384 cans. This quarter they are supporting the Back to School Project.

“We want to help out and do what we can to help the community,” Thane says.

Walking into the cupcakery, you are greeted with a friendly face and a wonderful smell that has you salivating.

One of the first things I noticed was the unique furniture and comfortable looking chairs.

A place I could easily spend hours at.

“We collected the furniture over a few months before we opened,” Thane says.

“We painted it and had someone reupholster it.”

The side tables stored family games such as Apples to Apples and Bible Scrabble.

I wanted to curl up in a chair and read a book over some cupcakes and coffee, and that is exactly what I did.

It was hard to decide between the devils food cupcake, which is your basic chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and the red velvet cupcake, red chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting that is to die for.

T.G.S. offers several other delicious home-style flavors such as classic vanilla, apple banana nut, chocolate chip cookie dough, butterfinger, brownie, pumpkin spice, cinnamon roll, and many others.

“We offer different flavors on each day of the week,” Thane says.

The T.G.S. website gives you the full cupcake menu and lets you know which cupcakes are offered each day.

When I asked what her inspiration for the flavors are, Thane says, “a bunch of our recipes are family recipes, family favorites, and our personal favorites.”

When I first took a bite of these amazing cupcakes I thought of my own mom and the wonderful goodies she makes for my family.

You can literally taste the butter in every bite as it melts in your mouth.

These cupcakes are just heavenly.

“We wanted our product to be good and not just slap something together,” Thane says.

“There was a lot of trial and error in trying to get the recipes just right.”

“We were raised on sweets, so it had to be good,” Thane says.

T.G.S. also offers cake bites, coffee, and other beverages to take or to stay and lounge.

When asked what makes their cupcakes so good Thane said, “cause they are made with love.”

T.G.S. is closed on Sundays however they rent out the space for baby showers, bridal or wedding showers, and other small get togethers.

They offer student and military discounts. You can always visit their Facebook for specials or participate in their Saturday trivia to win a free cupcake.

T.G.S. is a great place to relax and hang out, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a home-style goodie to share with your friends.