Victor Gosnell - Zionsville Monthly Magazine

Life has been sweet for Confectioneiress owners Victor and Mica Gosnell who have been operating their bakery in Zionsville for just over two years. After their epic grand opening, cupcakes were flying Victor and Mica Gosnell out the door just after turning on their “open” sign. The husband and wife duo have continued to hit the ground running and are ready to expand their enterprise. Bites by Confectioneiress, a second and conceptually new location by the Gosnells, is slated to open in 2014. Mica is the culinary specialist of the two proprietors, and her talent for intricate cake designs and ingenuous cupcake flavor combinations have bolstered her reputation as one of the greater metropolitan area’s elite cake and cupcake providers. Confectioneiress has grown their wedding cake clientele substantially this year, designing over 100 wedding cakes, by averaging six to eight weddings a weekend during the unofficial “wedding season.” Unique to the area, they introduced their top selling cupcake flavor, chocolate chip cookie dough, a couple of years ago at the local Farmer’s Market. With the community’s support of Confectioneiress, the Gosnells feel confident about introducing their next line of products to the community. Victor explained the concept of Bites by Confectioneiress and how it differs from Confectioneiress. “We’re not changing our model at Confectioneiress. We’re just introducing something new and unique to the area at our second location,” Gosnell said. Bites will bring a dessert and specialty coffee bar to downtown Zionsville and will carry items that they don’t carry at their current location on a daily basis. Meanwhile, for fans of Confectioneiress, the menu and concept will stay exactly the same. Customers will still place orders for their favorite treats at Confectioneiress as Bites will offer a completely new line of products that can be ordered at its location north of 106th Street, next to Bub’s Burgers. While Confectioneiress is best known for their custom cakes, cupcakes, design and special flavors, the new location will be focused on mini desserts and specialty items that are not currently available in town. “We will have a variety of mini dessert items and a coffee bar,” Victor described. “We have teamed up with Julian Coffee Roaster that was previously on Main Street. Julian’s is local and roasted locally. We’re creating a coffee program for Bites by Confectioneiress that will include a full coffee menu and select specialty drinks.” The Gosnells have expressed their gratitude to the community for supporting their efforts over the last two years, and as a gesture of their appreciation, they have joined the efforts with several area merchants and businesses to partake in this year’s “Christmas in the Village” celebration that will take place in downtown Zionsville. Victor and Mike Snider with Snider Group, LLC have teamed up to bring back the “Santa House” that was used in years past for children to visit with Santa Claus during the holiday season. They will organize the refurbishing and decorating of the enchanting house with the help of volunteers from the local Boy Scout troops and the Zionsville Performing Arts Center. Victor expressed that it was important for he and Mica to be involved in preserving and paying tribute to the traditions that were started long before they arrived to town. “The small town feel is why we moved to Zionsville,” Victor said. “It is important to us to bring back the memories for those who’ve been here and help to create new ones.” Confectioneiress will have their packaged goodies available for purchase at the Santa House that will be located in the garden at Serenity Tea Room while families wait in line to see Santa. Confectioneiress is also very involved in a community project that serves terminally ill and seriously ailing children and their families. They are one of the preferred vendors for Icing Smiles, a nonprofit that provides specialty cakes to the afflicted families who want to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions with the children while in the hospital. To help ease the burden of purchasing a specially designed cake, they work with the families who otherwise may not be able to afford it. “We are fortunate to be one of the preferred decorators,” Victor said. “We are contacted by the organization when there is a need. The families need a little spark to take their mind off of everything that’s going on in their day-to-day lives, and it is our privilege to put together a special cake for whatever event they may need.” Once they are through the holiday rush, the Gosnells will focus on maintaining what they are doing at Confectioneiress while planning for the grand opening of their sister store, Bites. “Bites is a totally new concept for the Zionsville area,” Victor states. “It will appeal to a wider demographic. We are looking forward to opening this location and possibly expanding the Bites’ label afterwards.” But Victor says they will approach their growth methodically and “one bite at a time.” Bites by Confectioneiress has a tentative opening set for early spring of 2014. They will be open 7 days a week, 7 am to 7 pm with adjusted hours on Sundays. For more information and to place orders with Confectioneiress, visit their website at www.confectioneiress.com. If you are interested in what services are available from Icing Smiles, visit their website at www.icingsmiles.org

Bites Rolls Out Barrel-Aged Coffee

Bites Rolls Out Barrel-Aged Coffee

Bites of goodness coming to the Village next spring