Cupcake shop offers sweet treats and charity

For the third straight year, Long Islanders made their way to Bedford Avenue in Bellmore for sweet treats on a hot summer day. 

Nancy, the Cupcake Lady, the bakery formerly known as Got Cupcakes?, hosted its annual cupcake-eating contest for children, teens and adults on July 7. Nancy Moniodes, the shop’s owner and the “cupcake lady” herself, said about 40 people battled it out to see who could devour the store’s signature confections the quickest. Attendees also participated in a food and donation drive for Long Island Cares. 

Moniodes said this year’s event was bigger than ever. There were several rounds of competition, determined by the contestants’ ages. Children had to eat one of the shop’s original-recipe cupcakes with their hands tied behind their backs. Teens and adults, however, were asked to consume six or 12 cupcakes, respectively, as quickly as they could. 

The adult winner, Kevin Sloan, polished off a dozen cupcakes in a little more than two minutes. He was awarded a $100 prize. Joaquín Pallanza was the teen champion. There were ties in both children’s divisions. Thomas Ham and Colleen McNally won the round for children ages 8 to 11, while Danielle Manganiello and Roseanne Morreale won the contest for kids ages 4 to 7. 

The first contestant to arrive at the shop was Rose Holt, an 83-year-old Massapequa resident. Moniodes said she sat smack in the middle of a table full of male competitors and downed four cupcakes. 

Moniodes said she can never guess who she’ll meet through this community event. “You touch different people each time, and you make different connections,” she said. “And let’s face it –– it’s a fun to eat cupcakes.”