Photo by Graham Sweeney
Richard Clark finally decided to open Buttercups Cupcakes in Carriage Crossing after hearing friends, family and catering clients praise his sweet treats over the years.
By Graham Sweeney
The Independent
After nearly a decade of creating culinary treats for friends and family, self taught baker and Memphis native Richard Clark decided to offer his talents to the public by opening Buttercups Cupcakes in Collierville’s Carriage Crossing.
“It all started with the inspiration of a Gray KitchenAid Mixer that was given to me by my two children, Jasmine and Devonte, for Christmas and my love of creative baking,” he said. “Tradition and history is certainly repeating itself in my bakery every day.”
The 1,014-square-foot shop opened Saturday in the original Crepe Maker location.
Clark, who has a staff of five, makes all of the more than 12 cupcake varieties by hand and is proud of the personal recipes that took years to hone and tweak.
“We didn’t invent the cupcake,” he said, “but we made it better.”
Clark’s cupcakes gained popularity as he began to cater friend’s weddings, church events and more.
Word of mouth grew, and eventually Clark, who has a ministry background and previously owned East Memphis Pizza & Subs, decided it was “time to get a piece of the pie.”
Buttercups’ unique offerings include Wedding Day Cake, Coconut Cream, Peanut Butter Chocolate and Red Velvet Cheesecake.
And that’s just the cupcakes.
Clark’s most recent concoction, dubbed the Cup of Butter, is already winning over patrons.
He compares the creation, which comes in vanilla, strawberry, banana and chocolate flavors, to banana pudding without the bananas, with crumbled cookie toppings.
During last week’s soft opening, all of the 12-ounce treats were quickly snatched up.
More than 600 cupcakes were also sold out by 3 p.m.
Of the location at Carriage Crossing, Clark said opportunities are “endless” at the mall.
“We didn’t want to go where there was already an established (bakery),” he said. “This is perfect.”
Buttercups Cupcakes is open seven days a week at 4630 Merchants Park Circle, Suite 731.
For more information, go to www.cupcakesbybuttercups.com.
(This story previously noted that Clark owned East Memphis Pizza & Subs at 3736 S. Mendenhall. However, he no longer owns this business. The current owner is Aaron Kearney.)
