For my first post here at Swell Fare, I knew it had to be something special. I knew I needed to choose a tasty treat that intrigued and inspired me. And I’ve found it.

But please allow me to provide you with some back story…

What some of you may not know is not only am I food lover, I am also passionate about fitness. I’m a Danceaton instructor, and where health is concerned, it is important to me to model a lifestyle that not only focuses on fitness goals but most importantly, a lifestyle that is doable. That being said, I’m not certain if I work out to eat or eat to work out, but I do know from the very beginning of my fitness journey, it has been essential to me to lead a life that embraces health as well as celebration. That’s why I still eat real food. That’s why I don’t do shakes or meal replacements. I may have a protein bar every now and then, but I love real food too much to sacrifice it. I just know, for me, that’s not a realistic lifestyle choice.

But when Cristy Alcorn Russell brought me a box of gorgeous cupcakes to the gym, I was torn. There I was: I had just taught a class. I was a sweaty mess in my teal Brooks, black shorts, and perspiration-drenched blue cami. I had just given pointers on the importance of stretching out, focusing on form, and tightening abdominals, and then, Cristy hands me this box of decadent delights. A box of four unassuming cupcakes and a bag of four fancy inviting dipped Oreos.

I had reached an impasse.

I knew refusing them was out of the question. Truthfully, I wanted to rip into them as soon as possible, but clearly, I didn’t have enough to share… and when it comes to food… GOOD food, I can be quite selfish. So no, I would definitely not refuse them.

Should I hide them? I was a fitness professional after all. Shouldn’t I be staying away from such things?

Should I lie and say they were for my 6 year old son? After all, he’s a kid and should be allowed to feast on such deliciousness…

But… wait!! I, too, should be allowed to have such a joyful snack. I, too, should be able to partake in real butter-, real sugar-, real love-imbued morsels of cakery.

So you know what i did? I owned it! I owned the exciting anticipation of taking these with me. I owned the promise of soon-to-be-devoured lusciousness. I didn’t refuse it. I didn’t hide it. I didn’t lie about it. I owned the fact that I wanted these goodies as much as they wanted to be in my belly. I proudly carted my baked booty with me explaining I will enjoy these now and make up for them later. So now to the Cristy’s Grandmother’s Strawberry Cupcakes.

You know when you hear about a friend who bakes? You think, “How nice! She found some recipes on Pinterest and is trying them out!” Well, no. Cristy really bakes. She really creates in her kitchen, and her strawberry cupcakes are a testament to the talent and care she posseses to carefully bring her cakes to life.

You know when you get a strawberry cake? You can’t wait for the sweet pink goodness? Okay, okay, but you know when you really want a really good strawberry cake? You want something refreshing to remind you of the taste of sun-kissed berries? You know. You want to experience the strawberry: yes, sweet, but so much more. There’s a touch of acid that elevates the taste of this berry. You know, that’s what you really want in a strawberry cake, but you’ve had so many loaded down with sugar that you’re afraid to ask for that.

You’ve grown accustomed to strawberry cake equating to pink fluffy mush with artificial flavoring suggesting a touch of strawberry. You’ve understood strawberry cake to be overpowered with this thick, paste-like, too much powdered sugar cream cheese nonsense that just so happens to be pink to further hint to some notion of straberryishness.

Well, if the last paragraph describes the cake you want, STOP. Do not seek out Cristy’s Strawberry Cupcakes. Do not pass go. Do not even read other posts on Swell Fare because you apparently have the taste buds and the foodie-like inclinations of a toadstool. We simply do not tolerate your kind here.

Back to the pressing matter of strawberry cupcakes… What you get with Cristy and Keep on Caking is this amazingly unpretentious tribute to all things strawberry. Cristy has managed to allow the strawberry to take first billing here. The strawberry frosting actually cooperates with the moist, tender cake. It’s not too sweet. Instead, the strawberry fruit is really there: a gentle flavor whose perfume makes its way to your nostrils, insisting on another cheerful bite. It’s been a very long time since I’ve had a cupcake that doesn’t try to hit you over the head with obnoxious flavor of what the baker thinks it should taste like. Instead, this cupcake taste like strawberries. It is the taste of summer: balanced sweetness, bright acidity, light enough to leave space for a passion fruit sangria. Cristy’s strawberry cupcakes are the best cupcakes I’ve had in a long time. Pure and simple. Purely and simply delicious.

I. Want. More.

I cannot think of a more worthy inaugural post for Swell Fare.