 "Photo: Alicia Ramirez")
 "Photo: Alicia Ramirez")
 "Photo: Alicia Ramirez")
Everything about Molly’s Cupcakes is sweet: from the employees’ greetings to the school room décor; from the luscious buttercream frosting to the philanthropic mission inspired by its namesake.
Ms. Molly was the third grade teacher of owner and founder John Nicolaides. She was both a young teacher and a good one, Nicolaides said, and most importantly, she baked all of her students cupcakes for their birthdays. Maybe it was his self-proclaimed crush on Ms. Molly, maybe it was her undeniable baking skills, but for some reason, those homemade treats had a lasting impact on Nicolaides. He later obtained Ms. Molly’s recipes and started baking her scrumptious chocolate and vanilla cupcakes in 2001. Meanwhile, working as a marketing consultant, he conceived the brainchild that would become Molly’s Cupcakes.
When Molly’s opened up shop in Lincoln Park about two years ago, it was an unassuming bakery that sold seven different kinds of cupcakes. It was also the realization of Nicolaides’ deeper mission. “I believe the best way to change the world is through education,” Nicolaides said, and in the spirit of Ms. Molly, he honors that conviction through Molly’s Cupcakes’ donations to schools in the community. Nicolaides’ first project was a fundraiser at Molly’s for Alcott Elementary School. He also later sponsored their 115th anniversary party. Schools looking for aid can contact Molly’s directly, and the bakery provides individual gifts in the form of cash donations and fundraising bake sales.
When Nicolaides first began his philanthropic and entrepreneurial venture, he said he had no inkling that it would reap so much success. Competing with the copious cupcake boutiques and kitschy bakeries that dot Chicago, not to mention franchised bakeries,
Molly’s has tasted sweet, sweet success. According to Nicolaides, they now sell thousands of cupcakes every day. Their seven varieties have multiplied to more than 20, ranging from the originals (chocolate and vanilla) to the more exotic center-filled varieties like tiramisu, lemon meringue and coconut cream. They even sell vegan cupcakes. Molly’s also vends a full range of Intelligentsia coffee drinks and whips up other treats like pies, cookies and homemade ice cream. Nicolaides is also planning an expansion to New York City.
Molly’s has blossomed into a Chicago phenomenon. “If you Google Molly’s Cupcakes,” Nicolaides comments, “it will say that we have the best cupcakes in the city. It’s all because our customers give us favorable ratings on restaurant search engines.” In fact, Molly’s relies entirely on reviews and word-of-mouth. Though Nicolaides’ background is in advertising, he has never run a single Molly’s Cupcakes ad campaign. Even so, his venture continues to garner glowing reviews from customers as well as the press. Chicago Magazine recently voted their red velvet cupcakes the best in the city.
When first walking into Molly’s Cupcakes, it smells of warm ovens and success. The happy atmosphere seems to reflect the popularity the bakery enjoys. Whitley Gower, who has worked as the delivery coordinator and a cashier at Molly’s for about one year, said she was walking home one night when a stranger greeted her with an emphatic, “Hey! I know you! You work at Molly’s Cupcakes!”
Nicolaides seems to be constantly hard at work — an observation that is supported by several of his employees. “You wouldn’t think that owning a cupcake shop would turn you into a high-powered executive,” joked Gower, “but apparently that’s what it did to John.” Upon meeting Nicolaides, though, he could hardly be described as anything but friendly, laid-back and modest. He was eager to attribute Molly’s success to his employees, with whom he seemed to be good friends. “In two years,” he said, “no one here has ever quit. It’s a great place to work.” Indeed, nobody wears a uniform and the three employees behind the counter can usually be seen dancing to the radio, gossiping and sharing french fries. Nicolaides believes that a fun and friendly atmosphere has proved to be an integral part of Molly’s Cupcakes’ success. “We mostly serve college students,” he says. They’ll come in during the evenings and just sit and eat cupcakes and play board games for hours.”
Atmosphere aside, the actual cupcakes are both artful and unflinchingly sinful. Molly’s uses fresh ingredients to make cupcakes that are dangerously delicious. Gower and Nicolaides said their favorites were the blueberry cheesecake and the cookie dough, respectively. The former was like the semi-divine offspring of a cheese danish and a blueberry muffin, topped with cream cheese frosting, pieces of buttery graham cracker crust and fresh blueberries coated with demerara sugar granules. The latter was stuffed with cookie dough and topped with buttercream frosting and mini chocolate chip cookies. Cupcakes like these go for about $3.50, but the classic flavors are $2.00, the mini cupcakes sell for $1.00 and the larger ones could easily be shared by two or even three people. Customers can also choose their own frostings or special toppings, and even decorate their own desserts at the whimsical “sprinkle station.”
Molly’s Cupcakes is a bright spot: for customers, for school kids, for the employees themselves. And people far and wide are getting in on the sweetness of Ms. Molly’s legacy.
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