stacia The back story: Everywhere you look, somebody is predicting the demise of the cupcake—or at least our decade-long obsession with them. As 2010 wound down, it was one of the most-common New Year’s prophecies. Of course, that was true near the end of  2008 and 2009, too. Since Stacia Samartan and her mother opened Frosted Cupcakery in Belmont Shore in October 2005, cupcakes have variously been predicted to go the way of the Krispy Kreme donuts fad or crumble before the powers of the macaroon, baked French cookies—even a slice of pie.

The question: Are we nearing the end of the cupcake trend?

Stacia Samartan’s answer: “People have been asking us that from the day we opened. But I don’t feel cupcakes are a trend. They have been a tradition throughout my lifetime, and I’m 30 years old now. I think it’s great if other desserts are having their day in the spotlight, and maybe the trend of everybody thinking they can own a cupcake business is over. But that doesn’t worry us—we haven’t seen a drop in our numbers. It doesn’t feel like the end to us.”