Pamela Jenkins

Friday, Feb. 26, 2010 | 6 a.m.

Pamela Jenkins

Age: 29

Current job: Owner, The Cupcakery

Education: I attended Hunter College in Manhattan, where I majored in anthropology and minored in Spanish. I dropped out my junior year to move to Las Vegas, and never went back. The business opened, and who had time for school at that point? I studied abroad in Italy, Spain, England and Argentina throughout college, which was the best part of all of my education.

About Pamela Jenkins: At 25, Pamela Jenkins decided to leave her job as an executive assistant for then-chairman and CEO Timothy Poster at the Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino. That’s when Jenkins and her two partners decided to bring a cupcake-only bakery to Las Vegas. The doors opened in January 2006, and in the first year, they sold 275,000 cupcakes. Since then, Jenkins has bought out her two partners to become sole owner of The Cupcakery. She opened a second location in 2007, and a third inside the Monte Carlo Hotel and Casino last December — marking the first business of its kind on the Las Vegas Strip. Jenkins’ contributions to the community include work with the Toys For Tots toy drive, Salvation Army, New Vista Community, Nevada Cancer Institute, 98.5 KLUC Toy Drive, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Gay and Lesbian Center, Nevada SPCA, Make A Wish Foundation, AFAN, Lied Children’s Museum and Child Haven.

The most important issue facing the valley: While there are many challenges facing the valley such as water shortage and our school system, which is rated insanely low in comparison to the rest of the country, I feel the most strongly about the hunger problem in Las Vegas. Many children go to bed hungry every night, and the only food they get is at school. There are programs out there that help, but the community definitely needs more involvement to help all the hungry children in need.

My mentor and why: I have several – my mom for faith, my dear friend Susan Sugarman for any food-related support, my dear friend Michelle Dell for business sense and professor James O’Pellicer for wisdom. Although, I learn more from my 17-month-old son everyday than I have ever learned from anyone in my life. Kids are your best teachers.

Favorite Web site: www.thecupcakery.com, which was just redesigned and is more fantastic than ever!

Hobbies: I love to travel to remote, off-the-beaten-path destinations, scuba diving, cooking, hiking, horses, garage sales, road trips, eating great food and drinking great wine.

Fantasy job: My fantasy job would be a weird food/travel show host. Who wouldn’t love to fly around the world eating great bizarre things, discovering new places and people? I can’t think of any better life than jet setting from locale to locale eating and drinking myself silly.

One-word description of self: Adventurer