Co-owner of Pittsburgh-area restaurant will continue selling famous red cakes
GREENSBURG, Pa. — It was Nov. 8 when Mimi Kaufman, the co-owner of the famous Wagon Wheel restaurant along Route 22, announced on Facebook that the family-owned eatery was closing after 60 years.
Thousands reached out to her through social media to say how sorry they were that the staple of the community was shuttering. Seemingly, that was that until last Sunday when Kaufman yet again took to Facebook to say that while the restaurant will remain closed, she will be baking and selling the famous red cakes once again.
"There is still a demand for it so I may as well still sell them," said Kaufman. "We got the recipe from a woman who worked here back in the '70s, the icing from one of our vendors back in the '70s and they just really took off."
At one point, Wagon Wheel sold the cakes by the slice and as a whole. Now, Kaufman is selling whole cakes for $30 a pop. They are available at the restaurant from Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon. And if you want one of these delicious delights, all you have to do is call and order one at 724-468-8189.
Diane Tutich from Greensburg was the first customer on Tuesday.
"Yesterday I saw on Facebook that you can still get the red cake," said Tutich. "And today is my mother's birthday and I said to my sister, 'Hey, you think we should get her a cake from Mimi?' and she said, 'Yes. If you can swing it run up to Wagon Wheel and get a cake before 12 p.m.' and I did."
When asked to describe the love of this one-of-a-kind cake, Tutich almost fought back tears saying, "It just brings a smile to your face. It's delicious. You have to experience it for yourself. I can't explain my personal joy, what you will feel, eating the red cake."
