The Cupcake Shoppe, Port Aransas

After years as a nurse in an ICU, Rachael Miller wanted a career change and the chance to run her own business. So, she traded in her scrubs for an apron and founded The Cupcake Shoppe. Rachael always loved to bake, and now it's the first thing she does every day; she rises early to prepare the batter for her cupcakes, which she bakes in seven signature flavors available every day. These always-available staples include chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and red velvet. But Rachel also gets creative, adding two additional specialty cupcakes to her menu every morning. These more unusual recipes often borrow flavors from other desserts—Oreo and snickerdoodle cupcakes, for example, have bits of cookie infused into them, while Boston cream cupcakes evoke the flavors of the cream pies American revolutionaries once threw in the faces of colonial soldiers.