Despite last year’s hardships, Chef and owner Travonee Simelton of Regale Cupcakery will be able to finally celebrate and share his custom cupcake flavors in a permanent location on University Drive near the MidCity entertainment district.

“This is an industry you have to love or you will quickly drive yourself mad, but if you love it then weather the storm. There will be high highs and low lows, but you’ll be able to get right through. It is more rewarding that way I think,” Simelton said.

This passion Simelton practices everyday is evident throughout the new shop. The syrups are house made. Glamour photos of Regale’s best-selling cupcakes adorn the walls. Customers can choose to combine the ingredients of various cupcakes at the counter.

When asked about his inspiration for his physical location, Simelton said that a lot of it came from his past experiences that drove him to where he is today.

“I had experience with cupcakes in bakeries that I had worked in Wisconsin and it kind of started to grow from their work. It gave me a chance to have fun with different ways of cupcakes…essentially like different ideas of desserts in cupcake form,” he said.

Simelton never considered himself to be ‘normal’ so pushing the envelope with his culinary creations seemed like the most logical choice when constructing the menu.

“The tomato soup cupcake is one of my favorite flavors. When you actually try it, it’s our version of a carrot cake or a spice cake. I love taking that thought process of deconstructing something,” said Simelton.

The storefront location gives Regale the opportunity to set themselves apart from other dessert shops or even their own event format.

“Everything in the shop is frosted and decorated to order. These are not cupcakes that have been sitting in a case all day. It allows them to create their own cupcake. Pick your base. Pick your frosting. Pick the toppings. It’s taking the Subway concept and making it sweeter,” Simelton said.

Regale promises a host of sweet treats in time for Valentine’s Day. The signature coffee drink for the month is a chocolate dipped strawberry latte. They will also feature a fan favorite cupcake concoction called Love Potion.

“We’re deciding between two of three flavors for February. One is a king cake. Another is our Love Potion, which is a white chocolate cake with mint chocolate chips throughout and a raspberry coulis inside of it. We might also do a chocolate dipped strawberry in cupcake form, but if we’re already doing the latte then let’s honor Mardi Gras, too, even while we have special Valentine’s Day events planned,” Simelton said.

As a crucial part that led to their physical location, events are at the heart of Regale’s business, whether they are caterers, vendors, or hosts in their new party room. Family friendly cupcake decorating classes are held on certain Saturdays featuring Disney princesses or Marvel heroes.

“It’s a family friendly environment where kids can come in and use the party room to have fun with different sprinkles and like we can change it up. We’re doing Frozen themed cupcakes. We’ve also partnered with Humanity Studios here and we’re gonna be doing some wine and sip days. People can paint their own cupcake on Saturdays coming up soon,” Simelton said.

A steady flavor in Simelton’s cupcake selections is success. The desserts joined with a number of other food trucks, such as Rollin’ Lobstah, Beast Mode and Fire and Spice before bringing his dynamic desserts to the Huntsville Botanical Garden.

Regale Cupcakery signed the lease for 4925 University Dr. at the end of July 2020. Simelton estimated a six to eight week renovation for the space with a projected opening date of no later than October.

“The city had us on hold for six months changing our plans and approval before actually going to demo anything until the end of January 2021. From there the construction process took longer because it was hard to get materials and it was harder to really get the inspections that we needed because everything was slowing down with Covid,” Simelton said.

Regale officially opened its doors at the end of 2021 after an 18-month process with much guidance from the Huntsville baking community.

“I’ve met some of the most amazing people here, from Dark Side Coffee to the Donut Hole, and it is a big support system…that has kept us going not just as a black-owned business, but as a cupcake shop.”