Freehold’s Kimmee Masi, owner of Confections of a Rock Star, opened the Asbury Park bakery in 2012, offering music-themed cupcakes, cookies and pastries. ASBURY PARK — Radio stations have already begun playing holiday music, but perhaps the best holiday tune is coming straight out of an Asbury Park bakery.
Since its opening in 2012, Confections of a Rock Star, 550 Cookman Ave., has blended sweets and treats with rock ’n’ roll, offering music-themed cupcakes, cookies and pastries straight out of one of New Jersey’s most musically rich cities.
This season, expect treats such as the Ginger Baker, a gingerbread cupcake with maple frosting; Noggins and Messina, a spiced rum and eggnog cupcake with eggnog whipped cream; and Peppermint Haze, a chocolate cupcake topped and stuffed with peppermint buttercream and crushed candy canes.
Don’t expect any desserts named after Mariah Carey or Bing Crosby. Co-owner and Freehold resident Kimmee Masi describes her bakery as “edgy,” and it was designed to reflect the type of person she was.
“It couldn’t just be your typical, old-fashioned bakery, because that’s not who I am. … I’ve been a musician my whole life,” Masi said.
She said the concept had to be “cool” and combine music with baking.
With guitars and drumsticks hanging on the walls, Masi’s bakery stands out from the rest in terms of aesthetics, but the treats themselves have also made a mighty impression on the customers.
Confections has been the recipient of several awards, including CBS New York’s pick for one of New Jersey’s best cupcake shops, and has catered desserts for a number of celebrities such as former “Jersey Shore” star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and stars from “Bad Girls Club” and “The Real World: Las Vegas.”
“Business has generally been very, very well,” Masi said. “Luckily, we’re fortunate enough to be a business that opened in a bad economy, survived a hurricane, and is still open in what they still consider a summer town.”
Although Confections is standing strong, Masi said she has more plans for what the store will eventually become, including renovating the store so that it will serve breads and bowls in addition to sweets and desserts.
“Cupcakes are great,” Masi said. “People love them. I love that people love them. We have all kinds of different flavors all throughout the year, but I want to be a bakery — and that’s what this town needs.”
Masi, who grew up working in her father’s bakeries in Manalapan and Freehold, always intended on opening up a store that combined bread and desserts.
But an appearance on the Food Network series “3 Days to Open with Bobby Flay” — in which the famous chef helps a restaurant open in three days — rushed her into opening up as a cupcake shop, Masi said.
“It was a great experience. … It’s just not for me,” she said.
Masi said she was approached by another
Food Network series, “Unwrapped,” but decided that she didn’t want any more television appearances until she finally reached her true vision.
That vision, she said, is a full-on bakery in Asbury Park and other “music cities” throughout the country such as Boston, Las Vegas, Orlando, New York City, and either Nashville or Graceland.
But until then, Masi is thrilled with the role she pays in Asbury Park.
“There are a lot of people will take time out of their day … to come in and say ‘Listen, thank you for the cake. It was amazing,’ ” Masi said. “I love that. … I love people. I would love to be able to work upfront all the time. That’s where I want to be, but I’m kind of busy in the [kitchen].
Masi said she is looking forward to the future.
“We’re still standing, and I don’t foresee myself going anywhere, except for expanding,” she said.
To learn more about Confections of a Rock Star and its seasonal offerings, visit www.coarock.com.