Commissioners Lissette Carey and Jimmy Weekley, Mayor Teri Johnston, Cupcake Sushi founder Lori Shubert, SBDC Regional Director Brian Van Hook, and Commissioners Clayton Lopez and Billy Wardlow. Commissioner Mary Lou Hoover and Vice Mayor Sam Kaufman were in attendance via Zoom.

Cupcake Sushi Recognized by Commission and FSBDC

Mayor Teri Johnston and the City Commission teamed up with the Florida Small Business Development Center at FIU to recognize Cupcake Sushi as the winner of the 2024 Restaurant of the Year for Monroe County.

Cupcake Sushi was founded by Lori Shubert in the City of Key West in 2013. It is the world’s first hand-rolled dessert sushi. Shubert successfully invented a system that rolls buttercream around moist cake with the use of a cold stone and she secured two patents for the design and utility.

Shubert notes that Cupcake Sushi has “been loved, nurtured, and raised by Key West locals” and that the business “suits Key West on so many levels. There is no other place I would rather have located my company.”

Shubert announced, while accepting the award, that with the help of the Small Business Development Center, she “partnered with a shark on Shark Tank,” the reality television show that puts small business together with big backers. She said Cupcake Sushi is now working with the Harrington Group to launch a franchise in the fall.

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