NAU student Lauren Menona poses next to some of her delicious Mojito cupcakes (Photo by Rose Clements)
Baking is a popular pastime for many NAU students. However, for Lauren Menona, a junior hotel and restaurant management major, this lifelong hobby has lead to a catering company and possible television exposure.
“I have been baking literally ever since I could stand,” Menona said. “I would just help my mom in the kitchen, she would set me on the counter and I would help her add ingredients, and I started doing it on my own as I got older.”
Menona’s baking enthusiasm eventually took her to Scottsdale Community College where she attended the Culinary Arts Program. She finished her training and received her certificate this past May. She decided to continue her education by transferring to NAU’s Hotel and Restaurant Management program.
Family and friends started to notice Menona’s talent so she decided to start Sugar Coated, a catering company that specializes in cakes and cupcakes.
“People would ask me to bring stuff to family parties, and then friends of the family would ask, and it got really expensive,” Menono said. “So I decided to start a little business and charge people. I didn’t really do it to make a profit, more to gain experience.”
The popularity of Sugar Coated’s confections, specifically cupcakes, spread via word-of-mouth. Menona soon found herself specializing in crafted, inspired cupcakes.
“I just started experimenting with different kinds,” Menona said. “With cupcakes it’s a lot easier to do more extravagant things. I like doing different alcoholic drinks or different desserts, like a banana split cupcake.” The cupcakes offer unique flavorings, from churro to Girl Scout cookie flavored pastries, or her popular (and Menona’s personal favorite) Irish Car Bomb cupcakes.
Estella Hollander, a junior public planning major and longtime friend of Menona’s, raved about her ability to utilize a wide variety of ingredients in her sugar creations.
“Not only do Lauren’s cupcakes taste amazing, but they incorporate so many fun flavors,” Hollander said.
The next step for Menona and Sugar Coated is an exciting opportunity; she is currently a finalist for The Food Network’s popular show Cupcake Wars. An avid fan of the show, Menona decided to look into casting and signed up on the show’s Facebook page.
“I never thought it was a possibility,” Menona said. “There was a post on Facebook saying they were casting for season five. I thought ‘Okay, I’ll give it a shot.’ I didn’t think anything would come from it.”
She heard back from the show immediately, and started the process of submitting pictures and videos of her cupcake-making prowess. She also participated in several interviews to showcase her personality and charisma, an important factor for reality television.
Menona is currently awaiting the decision from Food Network executives concerning whether she will appear on the show. Even if she is not selected, her rank in casting grants her a much higher chance of being on Cupcake Wars in the future.
“Once you get to this level, you can keep applying every season,” Menona said. “Even if I don’t make it this season, I automatically get to go into the next round of casting if I would like to continue with that.”
The time spent waiting to hear back is exciting for Menona because she has come so far.
“The closest I can get is where I’m at right now, any closer and I’ll be on,” Menona said.
For more information regarding Menona’s progress and catering company, visit her Facebook.
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