‘Cupcake Guys’ Pivot From Soccer To Baking On Meals Network

Bear in mind the Cupcake Guys? Past year, Brian “Rak” Orakpo and Michael “Griff” Griffin starred in a business for Microsoft Area Pro 6 in which the previous NFL players introduced their cupcake small business, a bakery they opened three a long time ago in Austin, Texas, with enterprise partner and university friend “Little Bryan” Hynson.

Now the Cupcake Men are heading even bigger. They have a distinctive airing Saturday at 1 p.m. on Meals Network and streaming on discovery+. It is no coincidence the program’s airing on Tremendous Bowl weekend, when all points football-associated get a little more notice.

In Cupcake Guys Schooling Camp, government produced by Michael Strahan, the threesome aid a few bakers in subsequent their desires of acquiring their personal bakery. Throughout a 48-hour time period, every single receives a baking truck and tries their baking and promoting skills, with 1 winner obtaining seed income to support them reach their entrepreneurial drams.

The Cupcake Fellas comprehend the specialized facet of baking, and their skills are on screen in the course of the the show.

“I consider it’s a little various when you get a baker outdoors of the kitchen area and into a food stuff truck,” says Griffin. “It’s a lesser place. They’re not common with these ovens. Different issues can come about, it can alter the product or service when you cook dinner underneath distinct conditions, so it was definitely appealing to see how the bakers adapted.”

“Being rewarding, becoming regular is challenging in that environment,” suggests Orakpo. “When you commence a company at house, it’s a at ease spot, you can get your time with preorders. You can be very regular.”

They know from working experience. Griffin and Orakpo, who played at University of Texas collectively and afterwards had been teammates with the Tennessee Titans, ended up on the lookout for entrepreneurial possibilities soon after football.

“We preferred to get a jumpstart on the future element of our occupation whilst we ended up participating in. We seemed at a handful of distinct alternatives, and we made a decision the most effective thing for us to do was what we beloved to do—eat sweets and make sweets. We set two and two collectively,” Orakpo states.

They immediately realized franchising was their ideal alternative and linked with Gigi’s Cupcakes, a bakery chain with spots across the place. “We lacked business expertise, so franchising was a additional simplistic, turnkey solution. We experienced to do a large amount of smaller items, but we had a huge company to help us make the changeover smoother,” Orakpo states.

“The system was already in put, and we have a excellent support method,” Hynson claims.

The pandemic strike as the Cupcake Guys’ bakery finished its second year. Like other small organizations, Gigi’s had to make adjustments.

“We created a whole lot of new processes to remain secure, and I believe we’ll use a whole lot of these heading ahead to enrich our keep,” Griffin suggests. “They make sure we maintain the shop clean up. And we bought our decide on of a best crop of personnel. They’re excellent and they’ve actually aided us by means of COVID.”

Of course, the big concern, because the Foods Network unique is bowing this weekend, is: Who do the Cupcake Guys feel will get the Tremendous Bowl? Hynson states he’d like to see Tom Brady select up an additional ring. Griffin and Orakpo disagree.

“It has to be Kansas Town,” Griffin states. “Patrick Mahomes is symbolizing the Significant 12.”