Give MORE with MORE's new Cupcake Flavors

Chicago's chic cupcake boutique, MORE, (1 E. Delaware Pl., 312-951-0001) known for its creative sweet and savory cupcakes, has introduced several new flavors to “Give MORE” this holiday season. MORE's cupcakes are truly the ultimate gift: gorgeous, decadent and delicious. Treat that special someone to more with cupcakes in new holiday flavors like Chocolate Hazelnut, Gingerbread or White Chocolate Peppermint. Cupcakes range from $3.50 to $4.25/each, or $39.50 to $49.50/dozen.

Holiday party-goers should know that MORE’s cupcake flights make the perfect hostess gift or party favor. Everyone will buzz about the new Wine and Cheese Flight with flavors like Apple Gorgonzola; Champagne Brie; Camembert Sauternes; and Pear, Blue Cheese and Port (pictured). MORE also has a special Holiday Flight featuring cupcakes in familiar flavors like Gingerbread, Chocolate Mint, White Chocolate Peppermint and Red Velvet. Toast the New Year with cupcakes! MORE’s new Champagne Flight bubbles over with cupcake flavors like Bellini, Mimosa and Kir Royale.

MORE has also introduced a Cocktail Flight, perfect for those late night and weekend soirees. Try assorted cocktail flavored cupcakes including Margarita, Pina Colada, Mojito and Martini. Need a “pick-me-up” after a fun-filled weekend? MORE’s Sunday Morning Flight does just the trick with Bloody Mary cupcakes topped with an assorted variety of garnishes.

All flights include six of MORE’s signature MOREsel cupcakes, and range from $9.50 to $11.50 each. To make the perfect holiday party appetizer or dessert, MOREsels are also available by special pre-order in sets of 16 or 30. Please note orders require a minimum of 48-hours notice. To place an order for cupcakes, please contact MORE at (312) 951-0001.

**Want to learn more? Tune in to Erich "Mancow" Muller's radio show tomorrow on WLS 890 AM, Friday, December 12 at 10:30 a.m. CST to listen to MORE's owner, Patty Rothman, talk about her newest cupcake creations.**

Getting MORE out of Fall: October Specials and Promotions at MORE

Just when Chicago thought the couture cupcakes at MORE (One E. Delaware St., Chicago; 312-951-0001) couldn’t get any better, owner Patty Rothman has whipped up some fun promotions to accompany her delicious one-of-a-kind treats. During the month of October, the customers of MORE not only have a chance to sample an array of autumn-themed cupcakes to celebrate the beginning of fall, but they are invited to participate in exciting events.


Score MORE, Win MORE, Want MORE
Chicago is witnessing a once-in-a-lifetime event with two hometown baseball teams in the Playoffs and MORE is in on the action. The day of or the day following a Cubs or Sox Playoff win, customers decked out in the winning Chicago team’s garb are invited to visit MORE (One E. Delaware St., Chicago, IL). And with a purchase of six cupcakes, the decked-out fan will receive a free “MORE” cupcake.* The “MORE” is a delectable and decadent chocolate cake cupcake, filled with oozing homemade marshmallow, and iced with a silky chocolate ganache, fast becoming a favorite flavor at this newly opened Gold Coast bakery.

While the teams score more and win more, the fans score MORE and win MORE, and will of course, want MORE. This promotion will run for the duration of the playoffs as long as a Chicago team stays in, which leaves the fans only one option: don your favorite team apparel, cheer on your team, watch them score and get thee to MORE!

* A customer wearing both Sox and Cub attire at the time of a six-cupcake purchase does not grant him or her two free cupcakes, just two times the opportunity to gloat.

Vote MORE
Starting now until the November 4 Presidential election, MORE will take a bipartisan view and feature both “Obama” and “McCain” cupcakes. Both cupcakes are a rich, cocoa-embodied red velvet cupcake, topped with the signature MORE cream cheese frosting, however the only difference between them lies in the simple star propped upon the pillows of frosting. A red star stands for the McCain-Palin ticket, while a blue star represents the Obama-Biden ticket.

With their Presidential Cupcakes, MORE encourages customers to “Vote Early and Vote MORE” as they will be tracking the sale of each Presidential cupcake and updating the results; a mouth-watering Gallup Poll indeed. MORE employees will also be donning the trademarked “Vote MORE” t-shirts which will be available for politically-minded customers to purchase and sport while snacking on their favored Party’s cupcake. If only the actual vote tasted this good.

Help MORE, Hope MORE
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and with one in eight women still being diagnosed with breast cancer, MORE hopes to use sweetness in the fight against cancer. The "Hope MORE" cupcake, a treat worthy of this cause, features a pink velvet cake base with luscious white frosting and pink white chocolate curls. A portion of the sales of the Pink cupcake will go directly to numerous local and national breast cancer charities. Enjoy a Pink cupcake and hope MORE for a cure.

Gold Coast's newest addition, MORE, tempts guests to indulge in cupcakes

Cupcake lovers have long awaited the opening of MORE, a specialty retail cupcake boutique and wholesaler, which opens its doors today at One East Delaware Place. MORE is the upscale creation of charming, energetic owner Patty Rothman, who has teamed up with culinary leaders, consultants Gale Gand and Henry Adaniya. Gand, winner of the James Beard Foundation Outstanding Pastry Chef award, designed some of the recipes for the unique, extra moist cupcakes, while Adaniya developed the business concept of MORE."We wanted to create a business that was upbeat and fun, and what could be more fun than cupcakes?" says Rothman. "Not only are they delicious, but they are also small enough to fit in one hand, so we can all indulge in cupcakes and not feel so guilty."

Rothman, a successful entrepreneur and business woman, credits her number one role, as mom, for the inspiration behind MORE. After years of making cupcakes for her five children, who range from ages five to 16, she began to see greater possibilities. With the support of her close friends in the culinary world, she made the decision to open the all-cupcake boutique.

MORE offers a rotating collection of more than 50 varieties of rich, flavorful cupcakes. The collection is noteworthy for its unique savory flavors in addition to its wide variety of sweet recipes and classic favorites. The cupcake menu changes often, and includes special holiday and seasonal flavors.

Offering an extensive list of both sweet and savory flavors, MORE aims to please a broad array of customers. Rothman and her team have worked to develop all elements of their cupcakes, so as to accommodate different palates. The cupcakes showcase a combination of bold and subtle flavors, with twists such as Ganache filled chocolate, Passionfruit Poppyseed, Pink Grapefruit, and Creme Brulée. Savory flavors include Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato; Fig, Blue Cheese and Port, and a Madras Curry cupcake, which is layered with mixed berry jam, slathered with goat cheese and yogurt frosting and then garnished with puffed wild rice. Traditional flavors such as chocolate, white, yellow, red velvet, carrot and lemon are also among the 50 varieties.

"There are two types of people: frosting people, and cake people," according to Rothman. "We’ve customized the frostings to complement each cake flavor, so that both types of people are satisfied."

Joining the stellar MORE team is Executive Pastry Chef Todd Maturatai, who creates unique cupcake combinations of his own. After graduating from Kendall College, Maturatai took an internship opportunity at the esteemed Trotter’s To Go. The young chef credits the eight months he spent there in shaping his skill in the culinary arts. Maturatai comes to MORE after a five month stint as Executive Pastry Chef at Powerhouse Restaurant and Bar. With a philosophy that cupcakes are more than what meets the eye, Maturatai is enthusiastic about tackling the more challenging savory combinations.

Todd Maturatai, Patty Rothman and Liz Adamski

"In regards to developing savory recipes, I’ve worked to put my thoughts into an entirely different perspective," says Maturatai. "My creative approach is to look at everyday items and apply them to the cupcakes I create."

Showcasing this creative way of baking, Maturatai found himself dining at fine restaurants, looking at diverse ingredients for inspiration. MORE’s Caramelized Onion cupcake, which features an olive oil buttermilk cake, topped with caramelized onion frosting and candied pine nuts, is evidence this practice works.

During the planning process, with so many wonderful cupcake creations in the works, Rothman’s focus turned to store’s location and design. MORE found a home in Chicago’s Gold Coast neighborhood, a perfect fit for the chic cupcake boutique. Rothman’s vision was to transform the retail space so as to evoke the essence of a cupcake.

The store was designed by 2008 AIA Chicago Firm of the Year, David Woodhouse Architects, LLC. It is a warm and comfortable feast of the senses. Customers are immediately greeted by a glass wall filled with suspended cupcakes. The ambience is inviting with rich textures and colors, and offers, in essence, material abstractions of the ingredients like butter cream and chocolate. The store’s unique backlighting illuminates the walls, to give the illusion of frosting throughout.

Rothman expects many customers to buy cupcakes by the dozen, with a good portion of MORE’s business coming from special orders for cupcakes at private events—weddings, birthdays, bar mitzvahs and so on. Special signature packaging is available for gift giving. As a wholesaler, MORE also supplies restaurants, hotels and corporate clients.It’s no secret that cupcakes are the nation’s hottest trend. With the huge success of Magnolia in New York and Sprinkles in Los Angeles, Rothman and her culinary team are confident MORE will have the same type of impact on Chicago.

"New York has Magnolia, but we’re bringing MORE to Chicago, in every sense of the word," states Maturatai. MORE, located at One East Delaware Place at the intersection of State Street and Delaware in Chicago, is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Sunday. For more information, contact MORE at (312) 951-0001 or send an e-mail to info@morecupcakes.com. Please visit http://www.morecupcakes.com/.

Chicago Dessert Examiner: The cupcake diet

By Stacy Warden - Chicago Dessert Examiner
Photo Courtesy of Jessica Tampas

Patty Rothman is on the cupcake diet. This means she eats the things for breakfast, lunch and dinner—sometimes she’ll even sneak a bite or two between meals.

It’s easy to eat cupcakes around the clock when armed with choices like the BLT, BBQ peach and mango sticky rice. These are just a few treats the pastry queen is doling out at her new cupcake shop, MORE, on State and Delaware.

Rothman is challenging folks to think outside of the box (or mix, if you will) with her list of savory cakes. The BLT, a house favorite, gets a dollop of ranch dressing frosting topped with thin tomato slices, arugula and tiny bits of bacon. BBQ peach is a nod to backyard cookouts with its fresh fruit and smoky finish, and the mango sticky rice—well, it’s just damn good.

It would be a shame, though, to dive into these lunchy selections without first treating yourself to a well-balanced breakfast cupcake of bacon, maple and brown sugar. And then there’s the sweet side of Rothman’s list, on which you’ll find over 25 toothsome treats. Choices range from classics like red velvet, carrot ginger and chocolate to MORE’s upscale version of the original Hostess cupcake with a homemade marshmallow filling.

For more info: Sweet cupcakes: $3.50 each, or $39.50 per dozenSavory cupcakes: $3.95 each, or $45 per dozenBacon cupcakes: $4.25 each, or $48 per dozen


Chicago Dessert Examiner: The cupcake diet

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Top Chef Wedding Wars - Loaded with Kurman associates

I hope that you caught tonight's installment of Bravo's Top Chef - Wedding Wars. Did you recognize the bride? Former Kurman Communications account executive Corey Smith married the handsome and talented restaurateur JP Marchetti, from Galleria Marchetti. We first met Corey when she was dating JP, then a client of Kurman. Anxious to move to Chicago from Kansas, Kurman quickly nabbed her as a senior account manager. As their relationship bloomed, Corey decided to join the ranks of the
Marchetti organization to help build the business and start a new life with JP. Well, we all know how the storybook romance played out...in living color on Bravo!

Also featured tonight as the celebrity guest chef was none other than Kurman long time friend (and former client) Gale Gand of Tru and Cenitare restaurants in Chicago. The award winning pastry chef, Gand is currently consulting with Kurman client Patty Rothman in her cupcake boutique project, More, which will open mid-June at 1 East Delaware St. in Chicago.