Of Crack Cakes and Bullet Holes in Humboldt Park: CitySoles and Tipsy Cake Fail #NoMames

Feb 21, 2012
11:35 PM

We got this story from one of our community members tonight, and we are still perplexed. Let's give you the context first: This is an edited video we developed (for news-gathering purposes) of a local Chicago store and online series called CitySoles. The episode in question was a cake store in Bucktown called Tipsy Cake.

Boricua pride in Humboldt Park

Now, the actual video is no longer on the CitySoles site, but that doesn't mean that the comments made by both CitySoles' host Chris Starbuck and Tipsy Cake owner Naomi Levine about life in Humboldt Park (a predominantly Latino neighborhood in Chicago) have disappeared from the Internet. Remember: nothing ever disappears on the Internet. Here is what they said.

So, let's get this straight:

  • Levine left Humboldt Park because her cakes were getting riddled by bullet holes and moved to a more affluent neighborhood, yet still bakes her product in Humboldt Park.
  • One of their most popular items is called Crack, as in Humboldt Crack, since the Chicago Police made a habit of knocking on their doors asking for crack.
  • Looks like Starbuck has a crack habit.
  • And Whole Foods likes to sell the crack.

We have one word for all this: #NoMames