F EATU RE S
8
WWW.GUILFORDIAN.COM
Maxie B^s serves Greensboro^s best homemade cupcakes
BY LILY LOU
Staff Writer
Within a strip mall, at 2403
Battleground Ave. lies Maxie B's,
a locdly owned bakery glowing
from the fairy lights wrapped
around its pink and brown sign.
Upon entering the bakery,
customers notice the unique
ambience — it resembles a home
turned into a bakery.
"Maxie B's has a very nice,
tranquil and homey environment,"
said Early College junior Jeyla
Savage.
In the background, past the
murmured roar of conversation,
soft music creates a relaxing
atmosphere.
"Maxie B's has a very unique
environment that cannot be
found anywhere else," said caf6
coordinator Abby Brannon. "Aside
from the handpicked d^cor from
the owner, Robin, our cakes are
made from scratch and in-house
with lots of love and passion. It's a
truly magical place, and we are all
here because we love what we do."
Leather couches and fleur de
lis patterned fabric armchairs
surroimd white, antique coffee
tables, creating comfortable sitting
spaces for customers. Black leather
chairs circle a tall white table in a
comer of the store. Each table is
decorated with a flower.
"(Choosing d^cor for the store)
is just based on what I like at the
moment," said Robin Davis, owner
of Maxie B's. "It's always a work in
progress. It's fun to create spaces
for people to relax in."
The line of customers waiting
to place their orders for doggy
bir^day cakes. Eggnog Pound
Cakes and Pink Lemonade Cakes
runs from the register to the back
of the store, which speaks on the
desirability of their treats. Though
the line is long, the wait is only
around five minutes, depending
on the time of day you go.
Cakes are stacked on the counter
in glass stands while cupcakes sit
on shelves behind a large glass
display.
"It's nice that they have such
a large variety of desserts; not
only do they have what seems
like an endless list of cake
choices, but banana pudding,
cookies, cupcakes and bars," said
Greensboro resident Zahe Zalal in
an email interview. "When I say it's
hard to decide. I'm not kidding."
A small chalkboard sign sits
above the counter. Maxie B's is a
bit pricey at $2.50 for a cupcake
and $4.75 for a slice of cake, but
they also sell half-priced slices of
day-old cake. The prices may be
worth it, though, considering the
quality of ingredients they use.
"We bake from scratch, and we
use the very best ingredients, just
like our mothers would use at
home," said Davis. "(That means)
real butter, local eggs, pure vanilla
and organic carrots."
I ordered an Oreo Cupcake and
a Strawberry Pot Cupcake for
around $6. The cupcakes arrived
promptly to my table, served on
two square paper plates.
The Oreo Cupcake, topped
with half an Oreo, had the perfect
balance of rich chocolate flavor and
buttercream icing. The fluffiness
of the cake contrasted with the
thickness of icing, creating an
overall rich flavor.
The Strawberry Pot Cupcake
perfectly combined creaminess
and strawberry compote. The
strawberry filling brought
freshness to the cupcake and added
a delicious, refreshing texture
without being overwhelming. The
cake brought hints of sweetness,
but most of the sweetness came
from the icing.
The bakery serves over 33
different flavors of cupcakes —
some rotating seasonally. The most
popular flavor is Fresh Strawberry
Buttercream Cake: a layered cake
with strawberries and covered in
sweet buttercream.
"I cannot find the words to
convey the perfection of this cake,"
said Whitney Ostercamp, a blogger
for The Newlywed Chefs in a blog
post. "The buttercream is unlike
any other I've tasted. It's super
buttery. It has the right amount of
sweetness and a smooth, creamy
texture."
It is no wonder WFMY News 2
dubbed Maxie B's Greensboro's
as "your favorite dessert spot."
Southern Living Magazine has
also listed Maxie B's on their list of
the South's Best Cakes, along with
four other bakeries. Though not
for the health-conscious, Maxie B's
is a great place to go for a sweet
treat.
Maxie B's charm may come
from their commitment to the
3#:-
Maxie B’s of Greensboro was placed on Southern Living Magazine’s list of the
South’s Best Cakes alongside bakeries located in Ga., Miss., S.C., and Fla.
Greensboro community.
"We know our cakes and our
customers and love what we do,"
said Davis. "We have staff who
have been with us the entire time
we have been baking. Our head
decorator has been with us 10
years now."
‘Hercules’ provides nonstop action for fans of mythology
BY AMOL GARG
Staff Writer
Villages left razed. Innocent lives taken. Green bodies
scattered on the ground with the distinct scent of burning
flesh in the air.
This is what meets the mighty Hercules' army while
marching to intercept Rheseus. It is all over. Everyone is dead.
Hercules trots over to a nearby corpse to judge when the
damage had occurred. Suddenly, the eyes of the corpses flash
open, and their bodies rise.
It was a trap. Hercules and his army find themselves
"surrounded by bloodthirsty barbarians.
Donning the head of the Nemean lion as a helmet and baring
only a loincloth, Dwayne Johnson sets out as a legendary
mercenary in the movie "Hercules." Directed by Brett Ratner,
the action-packed film is a representation of the graphic novel
"Hercules: The Thracian Wars."
Starring Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, Reece Ritchie,
Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Joseph Fiennes and John Hurt, "Hercules"
slammed into theaters Jifiy 25, making it the second Hercules
film to be released in 2014.
"Dwayne Johnson certainly attempts to provide, and to an
extent; creates the emotions of an ordinary human, but the
“Hercules,” starring Dwayne Johnson, was released in theaters during July, making it the second film about Hercules this year.
plot fails him," said Early College junior Pratham Chhabria.
'The director's use of extensive computer graphics certainly
indicate technical prowess, but he fails in his direction to
provide a new take on an old story."
Portraying Hercules as an ordinary man with inhuman
strength, the movie focuses on a traveling mercenary
accompanied by a group of loyal friends rafiier than the
magnificent hero who accomplished 12 glorious labors.
"In this version, there's nothing supernatural about
Hercules," said sophomore Gary Stanback in an email
interview. "He's an ordinary human being, just one who
happens to be exceptionally strong. If s basically the story of
the real person who, hypothetically, could have inspired the
myth."
This is what really makes the movie a must-watch.
Hercules, instead of being this lionized character, is depicted
as someone that is struggling to match the exaggerated myth
of being the son of Zeus.
Haunted by hallucinations of Cerberus, three-headed
wolves functioning as Hercules' only remaining labor,
Hercules must make his way to Thrace with his band of
warriors to prepare the Thracian armies for an upcoming
battle against warlord Rheseus.
Hercules follows a complicated character progression,
starting off as a man who does not believe himself to be a hero.
Hercules is forced to take up the role of the legendary warrior
he once was and learns to have faith in his abilities.
Having a straightforward and inverted checkmark plot
structure, most of the movie is what avid Greek mythology
fans might expect. Littered with violence and fighting, the
film's main asset, however, is the amount of action packed
into the 99 minutes of screen time and the alternate take on
Hercules' character and his struggles to rediscover himself
after his family's death.
Each battle scene followed by another kept my eyes glued
to the screen. The story seemed to give off a hype of excitement
as Hercules continued to perform amazing tasks, keeping the
viewer engaged throughout.
Despite not having an emotionally connecting plot imtil the
end, Hercules' pain and frustration was effectively conveyed
to the viewer. I clearly remember feeling sympathy and
anger when Hercules was chained to a boulder and Cerberus
released upon him.
Overall, "Hercules" is an action-packed film, and I would
recommend it to anyone that enjoys mythological films filled
with action.