Killer Kupcakes won best dessert last year at United Way of Clatsop County’s Iron Chef Goes Coastal.

WARRENTON — Killer Kupcakes, known for handmade, jumbo-filled treats, has opened a storefront at the North Coast Shops.

Owners Olga Watkins and Tom Fink, who operate the dining facility at Camp Rilea, share a similar approach to food.

“Cupcakes bring people joy … desserts in general bring people joy. For us as chefs, we both had this philosophy separately before we met, but we are primarily in this to make people happy with our food,” Watkins said.

The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pair moved to the North Coast in 2021. Their homestyle meals at Camp Rilea have been praised by military personnel, but they have also earned attention for desserts.

Last year, their cupcakes won best dessert at United Way of Clatsop County’s Iron Chef Goes Coastal.

“That really just blew up the business, and it’s been sort of nonstop since then,” Watkins said.

The idea for Killer Kupcakes first came to them while they were stuck in a Las Vegas airport and noticed a cupcake vending machine.

“We just happened to stop in front of it and had a conversation about … yeah, they’re cute, but at the end of the day, it’s just a piece of cake with pretty stuff on the top,” Watkins said.

Their creations, which, depending on the flavor, can weigh anywhere from 6 to 12 ounces, are always stuffed with a filling.

The cupcake flavors rotate frequently. Some of the most popular are bacon maple, white chocolate raspberry, coconut cream, peanut butter chocolate and lemon.

Originally, Killer Kupcakes sold their products at local marijuana dispensaries, which led to partnerships with restaurants as well.

Good Life Collective in Astoria was the first to partner with them. That evolved into more dispensaries deciding to sell the cupcakes, including Smooth Roots in Astoria.

Gail and Casey Barella, the owners of The Chowder Stop in Long Beach, Washington, partnered with Watkins and Fink to sell the cupcakes at their restaurant after trying one.

“It was actually The Chowder Stop that found us at a pop-up at Smooth Roots,” Watkins said.

Killer Kupcakes partners with The Pizza Spot, The Farmacy, Under the Bridge Smoke Shop and The Owl’s Nest.

Outside of cupcakes, Killer Kupcakes sells pastries, such as jumbo rolls and turnovers, along with desserts like pies and cakes. The pair also serve their own invention named the sugar paw, which is designed after an East Coast lady lock.

“It’s a puff-pastry shell and then the filling is like a cross between buttercream and whipped cream,” Watkins said.