Cupcake abandons plans on Grand Avenue, heads to MOA

In the end, the controversy over Cupcake was too much of a tempest in a teapot for owners of the popular pastry restaurant. After a year of fighting the city of St. Paul and neighbors over parking and and a liquor license, owner Kevin VanDeraa is pulling the plug on the Grand Avenue location. He is now headed to the Mall of America and will open the new shop next month, the Pioneer Press reports. VanDeraa says he lost $150,000 in an effort to bring the boutique eatery to the St. Paul area.