{"id":12003,"date":"2017-12-04T11:00:54","date_gmt":"2017-12-04T16:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cubesmart.com\/blog\/?p=12003"},"modified":"2023-11-02T16:45:35","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T20:45:35","slug":"inside-the-life-of-huascar-the-baker","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.cubesmart.dev\/blog\/city-guides\/nyc\/stories\/inside-the-life-of-huascar-the-baker\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Sweet Life of Huascar the Baker"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Huasar\"<\/p>\n

This is one of a series of stories we are sharing to show what\u2019s inside CubeSmart. You not only get a peek inside our customer\u2019s storage unit, but also a peek inside what is important to them. Thank you to Huascar, customer of our CubeSmart store in New York City, \u00a0for sharing his story with us.<\/em><\/p>\n

Huascar Aquino, owner of a bake shop on West 54th<\/sup> Street in Manhattan, said he spends a lot of time thinking about his next confectionary creation.<\/p>\n

Like when he recently visited the supermarket and noticed peaches were in season. He began to wonder about making a peach cobbler cupcake.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut there\u2019s a million peach cobblers,\u201d Huascar said. \u201cSo I added guava.\u201d<\/p>\n

And now it\u2019s his favorite cupcake as well as a new customer favorite.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe try to put a little Latin flavor in them,\u201d he said of his entire menu.<\/p>\n

No wonder. Huascar was born and raised in the Dominican Republic, where his mother taught him to cook and where he developed his talent at hotels across the island.<\/p>\n

He came to New York in 2002 with $11 in his pocket to study pastry arts at the French Culinary Institute (now the International Culinary Center).<\/p>\n

Now Huascar operates from a 280-foot-square shop that greets customers with the aroma of freshly baked macaroons, cheesecakes, cookies, cupcakes and more. His store is two corners away from our store at 444 West 55th<\/sup> St.<\/a><\/p>\n

In 2012, he competed on the Food Network\u2019s Sweet Genius and, in 2013, won Food Network’s Cupcake Wars, which he points out is a first for a New York baker. On Sept. 7, 2013, Huascar opened H Bake Shop on West 57th<\/sup> St., in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

But in 2016, with just 10-days\u2019 notice, Huascar was forced to leave after the restaurant he subleased from closed. It was a difficult time for Huascar, who had just finished repaying a $35,000 loan to renovate the kitchen. \u201cI had no cash again,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Huascar took walks in the neighborhood to scout a new site for his business. But many places were looking for franchises who could afford 100-year leases.<\/p>\n

Huascar chooses to visit independent coffee stores over corporate ones, a preference that led he and his partner, Carlos Ramos, to a shop on West 54th<\/sup> Street. He and Carlos recognized the salsa version of the song, La Vie En Rose, that was playing and talked about it with the owner. Turned out the woman lived in the co-operative building that housed the coffee store and encouraged Huascar to approach the president of the co-op about a small vacant retail space.<\/p>\n

The co-op president invited Huascar to meet with the board of directors. Huascar readily obliged, arriving with freshly baked macaroons and brownies in hand and following up with a letter that included some of the many positive reviews he received on Yelp.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Huascar sealed the deal after eight months and after securing $100,000 in various loans for renovations. Then, on Jan. 14, 2017, he reopened at 453 West 54th<\/sup> St., between 9th<\/sup> and 10th<\/sup> Avenues. His fears about whether he would carry over customers from the first store were unfounded. He sold 1,000 cupcakes on the first day.<\/p>\n

The store\u2019s cozy space means he has to store packaging materials, containers and more at our store on West 55th Street.<\/a> Huascar lives in an apartment on 64th<\/sup> St. that is just a 10-minute walk away from his bakery. His typical workday features him and his kitchen assistant working from 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. When he bakes for a wedding, he often works until 1 or 2 a.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do what I do because we make people happy,\u201d he said. \u201cWe always feel honored to be part of their special day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even when he\u2019s not working, he often visits the store just to sit and relax outside the door. It\u2019s not because he micromanages, Huascar said. \u201cWhen I\u2019m at home I feel like I\u2019m bored\u2026This is my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We’d love to hear how self storage has positively impacted your life. Share your #HumansofSelfStorage story in the comments.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tTake a look as we explore what’s inside the stories of our Customers. Huascar Aquino tells us about his victory on Cupcake Wars, and his new successful Cupcake Shop!\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[638,1938],"tags":[691,924,232,839,23,24,803],"class_list":["post-12003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-stories","category-real-life","tag-customer-stories","tag-humansofselfstorage","tag-inside-self-storage","tag-manhattan-storage","tag-new-york","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-storage"],"yoast_head":"\r\nInside the Sweet Life of Huascar the Baker | The Storage Space<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Take a look as we explore what's inside the stories of our Customers. 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