Business & Tech

New Cupcake Shop to Open This Week

*ndulge to open with cupcakes, gelato and whoopie.

Donn Selkowitz will open a new cupcake shop in Manayunk on Main Street on May 30, and more than anything he wants you to indulge.

Check that—*ndulge.

“We want people to live well and die happy,” Selkowitz said.  “It’s part of our philosophy to treat yourself well.  That it is OK to reward yourself every once and awhile.”

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It’s with that philosophy that Selkowitz will open his second *ndulge location this Thursday. 

‘We’re really excited to open up a shop in Manayunk with all of its walking traffic,” Selkowitz said.  “We really think it will be a perfect fit.”

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State College to Manayunk by Way of Bryn Mawr

Selkowitz opened his first cupcake store in State College in 2010 before closing it down to move closer to his daughters and a brand new granddaughter. 

He opened a new *ndulge location in Bryn Mawr in March.

“I’ve always like bakeries,” Selkowitz said.

Selkowitz has a communications background.  He owned his own advertising agency in Rochester N.Y. for 25 years before getting into the baking game.

“Baking is in my genes,” Selkowitz added.  “I had a Jewish Orthodox mother who was an unbelievable baker.”

Still, Selkowitz couldn’t have made the move if his pastry chef hadn’t come with him.

“I couldn’t have done it without Rebecca Altman,” Selkowitz said.  “I wouldn’t have even tried the move if she hadn’t come too.”

Baking From Scratch

Selkowitz said that his shop can bake whatever cupcake you can imagine.  They just need 48 hours notice.

“I like to say, ‘If you give us 48 hours, we can bake you the world,’” Selkowitz said.

Besides cupcakes, *ndulge will also feature homemade gelato made from scratch.

Gelato Pairing

“They way gelato is churned it has less air,” Selkowitz said.  “So it has a creamier taste.”

Selkowitz also said that the way gelato is served adds to its flavor and why it makes a great pairing with cupcakes.

“With ice cream you get the cold first and the flavor second.  With gelato it’s the other way around,” Selkowitz said.  “The flavor is more pleasing, more powerful.”

Making Whoopie

Despite all that, there’s one thing Selkowitz is more excited for than anything else.

Whoopie pies.

Gelato whoopie pies.

“We’re going to take gelato and put it in between two whoopie pies,” Selkowitz said.  “It’s like the world’s best ice cream sandwich.”

*ndulge opens on May 30 at 11 a.m.  They are located at 4373 Main Street in Manayunk at the intersection of Main and Levering. 


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