So Cupcake
“I literally woke up and thought, you need to do something with cupcakes for [my daughter] Celina.” Natalie Jensen never imagined that one day she would own So Cupcake. She grew up in Salt Lake City’s Millcreek area, graduated from the University of Utah with a master’s degree in social work, and spent her early career helping children at the Children’s Center. “I never, ever thought I would own a bakery,” she said. “My mom was a really good cook, and I learned from her, but I was never into baking.”
In 2007, Celina, then seven years old and living with cerebral palsy, was granted a wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. “She wanted to go to New York and meet Chef Emeril Lagasse,” Natalie recalled. “We met him, and we ate cupcakes at Magnolia, and it was this amazing trip that sort of changed our lives, though we didn’t realize it at the time.”
Back home, Celina began watching cooking shows nonstop. “Because she can’t really do anything physically, she got into watching the Food Network and just loved it,” Natalie said. “I used to make cupcakes from a box at the grocery store all the time.” When her sister-in-law asked her to make a cake from scratch, Natalie discovered she enjoyed it. “I thought, this isn’t that hard,” she said, smiling. “Then I just started fooling around with recipes.”
Within a year of that trip, everything came together. Natalie created a base cupcake recipe - “a really good one,” she said - that became the foundation for what would grow into nearly a hundred flavors. “We’ve maintained our product all these years, and that’s such a big deal. Every time someone tries one for the first time, it has to be just as good as the last.”
With her dad handling the accounting, her brother building the website, and friends cheering her on, Natalie opened the doors to So Cupcake in February 2008, just before Valentine’s Day. “We were the second cupcake shop to open in Salt Lake,” she said. “Because of Celina’s story, we got a ton of press. It just worked. It was amazing. Everything fell together.”
The name came from her mother, who called one day with an idea. “She said, ‘Why not So Cupcake? How many times do you say so? so good, so pretty, so fun?’” Natalie laughed. “It was perfect. It just fit.” Her mother even sketched a little drawing of a cupcake sitting on the moon, which became their first business card design.
From the start, the shop reflected the family’s spirit - bright, cheerful, and heartfelt. The original Holladay location soon gave way to a larger one across the street in 2013. “People feel it when they come in. It’s cozy, warm, and inviting.” There is a play area filled with tea sets, puzzles, coloring pages, and an old beige telephone that fascinates children who have never seen one. Parents sit and chat while their kids play, and the scent of vanilla and buttercream fills the air.
The cupcakes themselves are small celebrations - classics like vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, and key lime, alongside playful creations such as maple bacon, brownie raspberry, and amaretto. Each season brings new favorites. There is pumpkin in the fall, peppermint and gingerbread in winter, and cotton candy in summer. “We’ve stayed true to what we do.” People come for cupcakes, and that is what we offer them - in a variety of ways."
The shop has grown into a community hub. “One of the best things we do is birthday parties. “We make crowns and superhero masks, decorate cupcakes, and play games. It’s so much fun. I host the parties so parents can just enjoy being there.” Natalie also organizes holiday tea parties, baby showers, book signings, and painting nights.
Eighteen years later, in the fall of 2025, Natalie still runs the business with her signature mix of energy and heart. Sarah and Stephanie, her fabulous team of two, arrive early each morning to bake and decorate, while Natalie manages the endless list of errands, deliveries, and events. Her younger daughter, Cosette, now sixteen, works in the shop too, carrying forward the warmth and creativity that have always defined it. Celina, now twenty-six, is still at the center of everything. “Her life and journey have always been the inspiration,” Natalie said softly. “It came out of me, but it came from her.”
Natalie still tastes a cupcake every day, “just to make sure it’s good.” And every morning, when she pulls up and sees the sign, the feeling returns. “I still can’t believe we did this - this sweet, beautiful little place that gives out happiness and makes people smile. We’ve managed to keep it all these years, and every time I drive up, it still strikes me. We really did this. So Cupcake.”
