When Mignon François of The Cupcake Collection stuck a “Bakery Opening Soon” sign in her yard in Nashville’s Germantown neighborhood, she couldn’t even bake from a box. Since 2008, her last $5 and a lot of work have amalgamized into one of the most beloved and awarded cake companies in the South. We talk about Mignon’s unlikely journey … and break some news about The Cupcake Collection that everyone will want to hear!
Tell me about your younger years leading up to moving to Nashville.
I was a really shy kid and was never sure of myself. I grew up in New Orleans and went to a small Seventh-Day Adventist Christian school. One thing these schools do well is teaching kids public speaking. I learned to speak in front of people at age nine. It didn’t stop me from being scared, but it gave me experience.
I went to a public high school and met this science teacher in 11th grade who helped me get a scholarship to Xavier University. I got married two weeks after my 20th birthday, and we stayed married for 21 years. I was a stay-at-home mom who got asked for a divorce. I was devastated. How could I take care of myself when all I’d done was care for others? And then God gave me cupcakes.
Explain that. How did this affinity for the cupcake come to be?
I first discovered cupcakes could be a “thing” listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio. He said people could get out of debt with a garage sale or a bake sale. Well, I didn’t own anything I didn’t need and couldn’t bake. But I bravely put out that “Bakery Coming Soon” sign and began practicing. I learned then that every stupid thing we do leads us to where we are going. I was a science major in college and was studying to be a doctor. I couldn’t apply science to the human body, but here I was in my Nashville kitchen 17 years after I dropped out of that program. I translated what I learned into baking.
Is there a specific moment that made you think, “Ok, this cupcake thing is working?”
When a line started forming in my living room. When my son Dylan was 14 or 15, he went down to Monell’s to ask the owner, Michael King, if he could pass out flyers while people waited. He told everyone in line that his mom made the best cupcakes in the neighborhood. Then it became that she makes the best cupcakes in town. Then, in Tennessee. Then, in the world. Everyone would engage him in conversation, and he would say we can’t stop working until we sell it all, so people would come to help this little kid get off early. It’s just got bigger and bigger.
What is your favorite part of the baking process?
Consumption. Cake is my love language. I love a beautifully decorated prepared cake and cutting it into layers. The finished product is my favorite part.
When you want a non-Cupcake-Collection sweet treat for yourself, where do you go?
Well, my mom’s peach cobbler is the best in the world. But I also call myself a donut connoisseur. So, it would be a maple-glazed donut from Donut Palace in Hermitage, TN. I love that little donut shop. The owner recently passed away tragically, and his widow is still running the business. They’re a young family, and it’s incredible that she is keeping the legacy alive.
What’s a common misconception that people have about starting a business?
People think it’s really hard to start to start a business. I think it’s easy. There are a certain number of steps that you need to take and a set of rules that apply. But I think there’s value in being a business owner. Being an entrepreneur isn’t for everybody, but it isn’t impossible. Being in business and having an entrepreneurial spirit often comes with a bit of celebrity — because, these days, it’s hard to attain.
But if you’re willing to stick to a thing, you can do it, even if you don’t know how. That was my story. I didn’t know how to do it. But I believe that slow and steady, every day, pecking away at it, developing new recipes, strengthening and improving what I was working on yesterday … all of those things add up to make a recipe for success.
What’s something that people are often surprised to learn about you?
That I couldn’t bake — not even out of a box — and that every recipe at The Cupcake Collection is mine.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received, and from whom?
Never accept a “no” from somebody who can’t give you a “yes.” I read it somewhere, and it resonated in my soul. Eleanor Roosevelt said it. I’m not accepting a “no” from you when I need a “yes” and you can’t give me one. If you don’t have the power to say “yes” to me, then I’m going over you.
Who’s inspiring you right now and why?
You might not yet know their names, but you will. My grandchildren inspire me a lot. My granddaughters Zoe and Lincoln are incredible artists. One dances with the Nashville Children’s Ballet and has an incredible voice that’s being trained by Nashville Children’s Theatre camps. And the other is an up-and-coming artist drawing things at 11 years old that I cannot believe. She goes to a middle school for artists in New Orleans. I am in awe of who they are becoming. I wanted to give you some amazing names, but the ones that I am inspired by are the ones that are getting raised with my name.
Besides faith, family, and friends, name a few things you couldn’t live without.
Laughter is good medicine. I could not live without laughter and joy. I love cake. Please never take the cake away from me. Flowers. They make me so happy. Oh! And my glasses! I have a huge glasses collection.
LIGHTNING ROUND:
Favorite hidden gem in the South: Lawrence & Clarke Cacti Co. in Old Hickory! It’s easy to pass, but this place is just filled with the most amazing plants, flowers, and pots. Also, The Oatstraw Tea Company.
Last vacation: Jamaica for a wedding.
What’s on your bedside table: My study bible. Two devotionals: Jesus Calling and You Owe You 365 by Eric Thomas. My Beats speaker. A pencil sharpener because I love a freshly sharpened pencil. And my Hatch alarm.
Go-to birthday present to give: I believe in giving experiences. Or perfume. Many of my girlfriends haven’t indulged in it, and I think everyone should have a signature scent.
Thank you, Mignon, for such a delightful chat! Order your cupcakes for nationwide shipping, or pop into the store (soon-to-be THREE stores).
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Nashville women are doing inspiring work. Meet more of them over at our FACES archives!
