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PinkaBella Cupcakes: Local Bakery on the Rise

For PinkaBella Cupcakes, giving back is a key ingredient

By Suzanne E Lee for Regency Centers April 21, 2016

It’s Olive Crest’s biggest event of the year and there’s not a moment to spare. The local non-profit is counting on PinkaBella Cupcakes to transform their gala’s dessert dash into the Grand Prix of fundraisers. With a commitment to donate 46 freshly-baked cakes, PinkaBella founder Margo Engberg has a tall order to fill. Working through the night, her team creates the most tempting cakes you’ll ever see. At the gala, the cakes alone raise more than $16,000 for child abuse prevention.
                                                                    Olive Crest gala photo courtesy of Ilya Photos

Giving back to the community is a key ingredient for PinkaBella Cupcakes, a locally-owned and operated small business. Founded in Redmond in 2009, Margo brought her secret recipe to Issaquah’s Grand Ridge Plaza in 2014. PinkaBella has established a reputation for consistently delicious cupcakes from the cake right up to the frosting. The bakery also specializes in custom cakes for weddings and birthdays, as well as large cupcake orders for business and community events. More than 100 flavors are available. The most popular? Red Velvet, Coconut and Salted Caramel.

Margo’s story started with a birthday party: “When I adopted three of my children from Guatemala, I learned they had never had a birthday party. So, it was a thrill to bake cupcakes just for them. When they started school, I volunteered to be the birthday party mom and created one-of-a-kind cupcakes for kids whose families couldn’t afford treats for their birthdays. It was a simple way to make the day very special. Several moms suggested that I explore the idea of opening my own bakery – and it grew from there.”

Margo’s philosophy of giving back to the community is integrated into every aspect of PinkaBella. To date, she’s donated more than 500,000 cupcakes and $500,000 to local non-profits and community events, including the Issaquah Schools Foundation and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Margo emphasizes helping families and kids, and is especially motivated to support causes that help the disenchanted – people who are hurt and lonely. Sleepless in Seattle, an organization that gives sleeping bags to the homeless, is among the charities that benefit.
PinkaBella’s next big move? In addition to creating new cake flavors, the company launched franchising opportunities with hopes to expand across the Pacific Northwest. Margo is also busy on another front: starring in the new TV series, Relative Race. A cross between The Amazing Race and Who Do You Think You Are?, the series features Margo and her husband Doug racing across the country to discover long-lost relatives. Relative Race is currently airing Sundays on BYUTV.

PinkaBella Cupcakes is located at 936 NE Park Drive in Issaquah Highlands at Grand Ridge Plaza and features a party room for birthday parties, baby showers, meetings and special events. You can even throw a tea party and decorate your own cupcakes. To learn more visit www.pinkabellacupcakes.com. All special orders are processed by their Redmond bakery and can be picked up at Grand Ridge Plaza. Free parking is available in the nearby BevMo! parking lot. Street parking is also available.
PinkaBella founder Margo Engberg


Directions and Parking at Grand Ridge Plaza: From I-90, take Exit 18 and follow E Sunset Way/Highlands Drive toward Issaquah Highlands. Continue on Highlands Drive for about half a mile to arrive at Grand Ridge Plaza. The shopping center offers plenty of free parking.