New Year, new cupcakes. New bakery to open inside Kennewick cookie shop

Stephanie Bertron debuts a new Tri-Cities cupcake bakery on New Year’s Day.

Whipped Cupcakery opens Jan. 1 in the Grumpy Monkey Cookie Co. at Hansen Park, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., Unit C, Kennewick.

Bertron is a certified pastry chef who creates high-quality, hand-crafted cupcakes made with premium ingredients. She is subleasing space at the cookie shop and operates her bakery under a separate permit from the Benton Franklin Health District.

Whipped Cupcakery will offer free mini cupcakes while supplies last on opening day, as well as giveaways.

Store and pickup hours 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday. Bertron accepts orders for events all week.

The new cupcake bakery shares space with Grumpy Monkey, a homegrown gourmet cookie shop created by Kassie Norris, a Tri-Cities resident, in March.

Norris set out to bake a better cookie than her national rivals. She recently secured a commissary kitchen license, which will allow fellow entrepreneurs to operate there under that license. The cupcake bakery is not part of the commissary business though.

As of this month, Grumpy Monkey is accepting applications from outside food vendors to operate in its facilities and share their products in the store.

Follow Whipped Cupcakery on Instagram or go to whippedcupcakery.com.

Follow Grumpy Monkey on Facebook or go to grumpymonkeycookieco.com.