Meet the Owners!

Hi, I'm Alisha! I'm the creator, mom of 3, and a wife to a pilot.  My absolute favorite thing in the world is to laugh!  I love to bake, cook, dance & say inappropriate things to be funny. 

 We have had our fair share of ups and downs! Our first year of marriage was hard! I was struggling through depression, but never realized I was depressed. I remember going into my room, locking Dave out wanting to be alone. Dave didn’t understand why I wouldn’t let him in...I constantly told him “you should leave me & find someone that is better for you. Because Dave is the man he is. he wouldn’t let that happen. We went to counseling, I got on some antidepressant, we still had our challenges but I opened up & let my husband into my life.

Years later, more life challenges came our way. Dave has always struggled with being negative & didn’t handle it well. I felt I could never do anything to make him happy. After years of this, I had it & wanted a divorce. Dave didn’t want this. He wanted to prove to me he could change. And this is why I am telling you this story, he did! Dave is not allowed to take any medicine because he is a pilot so he was trying everything to change.

Months, then a year after my blow up, I still thought there was no hope & saw no change. One day I saw Dave meditating a way that I had never seen before, you guys, he was jumping up and down like a gorilla….and if you know Dave, THIS IS NOT HIM! At that moment I knew that he was putting in 110% to make changes. Though the gorilla meditating did not work (haha!), he didn’t care how stupid he felt, he just wanted change!

It took almost 2 years for a complete MIND change. From listening to life coaches, meditating, running, intermittent fasting, & leaving the church we were in, it was the changes he personally needed. We both found ourselves, but most important of all, we both took care of ourselves. 

I share this story because I feel like we live in a place where no one wants to show their weaknesses. We don’t have a perfect marriage, perfect kids, perfect life but we are working hard to be happy! I hope by sharing my story that it will inspire someone & we can let others know we all struggle. Follow us on IG, we talk share our fails, our successes, and all about Cravings Alisha's Cupcakes!

“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” -Walt Disney

Before Cupcake Wars (like way back...)

I was born in Soel, Korea. My twin sister (Angie Wilson, owner of Cravings Bistro) and I were adopted at the age 3.  We grew up in Nephi, Utah with three other sisters and our parents. 

It was hard growing up being one of the few non-white people. We were made fun of terribly in elementary and junior high, but by high school, I think the kids finally grew up...well, most of them (haha!),  But from those experiences, I feel like it has made me who I am. 

Growing up my twin sister and I would do "eye exercises" (yes EYE exercises) to try to make our eyes round rather than "squinted" That makes me so sad to even think about it!  We would pray daily that we could be white and not Asian. Now as an adult, I embrace my nationality and from those experiences, I have become a better person. 

I have more empathy toward others and I find myself wanting to help others embrace their "differences" (especially with my employees).  I graduated from high school but never ended up going to college.  I met my husband, Dave Nuttall, soon after, got married, and moved to Arizona.

Six years later we had our first son Dexton, three years after had Allie, and five years later we almost opened up a 2nd Cravings, but a friend of mine told me the reality of owning 2 stores. So...we decided to have our last, Ava.

Dave is the owner that doesn't ever get any of the credit.  He works on all of the financial side of the business and deals with all of the maintenance of running a business.  Basically, he does all of the crappy work ha ha ha!  But we are a team and we even each other out.  He's the OCD clean freak, makes sure to meet with our accountant every month to pay our bills!  While I'm the crazy, messy cupcake creator that gets to design and play with food!

I started baking while taking a cooking class in high school and instantly fell in love with baking cupcakes and cooking.  Baking and cooking for my friends became a passion.  After high school, I started making cakes, cupcakes and other desserts as a hobby.  My twin sister, Angela, told me I should get into cupcakes and open a cupcake bakery because they were a big thing at the time. 

So, eight years ago my twin sister and I started a cupcake bakery home business from my small condo ‘Cravings Alisha’s and Angie's Cupcakes’.  Our motto was “You imagine it, we’ll create it”.Baking cake and cupcakes began to be an addiction.  Creating new flavors and trying to get the best consistency.  After a few months, Angela became too busy and didn’t want to be part of the business anymore... so then it became Cravings Alisha’s Cupcakes!

At that same time, I was also a server, bartender, and trying to get into management with Chili’s bar and grill.  I continued to make cupcakes on the side but it started to grow and I realized I did not want to be a manager for a corporate company but to instead own and operate my own cupcake bakery.  

Cupcake Wars!

Cupcake Wars Cupcake Wars aired and my friend told me I should apply.  I watched one episode of season 1 and said “NO WAY! I could never go on that show!”

Season 2 came around and my friend again told me to apply.  I thought, “what the heck, I won’t get chosen but I might as well submit an application”.  My resume was emailed and the next day, Food Network called. They asked if we would make an audition video.  I was in shock!  We made the audition video and that week they said they wanted us on season 3 of Cupcake Wars!  Well, long story short my twin sister and I went…lost in the first round, had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!  Right after we told ourselves we would NEVER do that again, Season 7 came around and Food Network asked us if we would be on a redemption episode…instantly I said yes!  What was I thinking?! This time we were going to be extra prepared.  We drove down to California with my family and we won!!!!!!  

My husband, Dave, is not an entrepreneur by heart and never wanted to own a business, but I told him if we win he had to promise that we will open up a cake shop!  Well, we did!

On November 8th, 2012 we opened Cravings Alisha’s Cupcakes in Pleasant Grove, Utah. I’m living a dream! My son asked me recently, “if you could work anywhere you wanted, besides being a baker, what would it be?”, I looked at him and said, “nothing, I love my job so much, I can’t imagine doing anything else.” Truly I am so blessed I get to work and do what I love.

Our small town cupcake bakery specializes in baking parties, cupcakes, cakes, cookies, bars, brownies (and so many more things)! I like to consider our cupcakes as mini gourmet desserts!  It’s not just cake and frosting. Love goes into each flavor! We do pies and rolls for Thanksgiving.  Our gluten-free menu has blown up and we have many gluten-free customers. 

Maybe in the future, we will expand! But for now, we love our little shop here in Pleasant Grove, Utah and we are happy with where we are!