Kings’ Day, or the Epiphany, is one of the most cherished holidays in Louisiana and around the world. One of the ways in which people celebrate the official start to Carnival season (also known as the Pre-Lenten period) is with king cakes, desserts that typically come in the form of a sweet brioche dough in the shape of a hollow circle topped with glaze sprinkled with colored sugar.

King Cake Hub, the brainchild of Will Samuels, is a recently-opened retailer that compiles all of the best king cake options in New Orleans into one easy-to-use shopping experience. Customers are able to order king cakes from a variety of bakeries through the website and then pick up those cakes at a single location.

In December, King Cake Hub announced its new physical location based at the Mystère Mansion, home of the Mortuary Haunted House. It will feature over 28 varieties of king cakes from around New Orleans and Southeast Louisiana’s favorite bakeries including Gambino’s Bakery (which is celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2019), Cannata’s King Cakes, Hi-Do Bakery, Bywater Bakery, and Girls Gone Vegan.

“We are so excited to partner with one of New Orleans’ iconic historical institutions to sell one of the city’s most iconic treats,” said Samuels. He continued, “Folks come from around the world to experience this legendary haunted mansion and innovative escape rooms and it is an honor to be sharing the space with this Mid-City landmark.”

King Cake Hub will also feature its own creation: The Epiphany King Cake. This new variety was developed in partnership with Gambino’s Bakery and features classic dough honoring 70 years of Carnival tradition topped with what is describes as “a modern twist of your new favorite cream cheese icing.”

King Cake Hub is also partnering with the Culinary Arts program at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). NOCCA’s Satsuma Almond King Cake, which will be available at King Cake Hub, is described by the school as “a flaky puff pastry with rich almond paste and cream cheese filled with a bright, refreshing, citrus filling using satsumas supplied by our partners at Press Street Gardens.”

NOCCA’s king cake will be a part of the King Cake Coterie, the exclusive King Cake of the Week club. Each week members of the Coterie will receive a specialty king cake by one of the top bakers in the area made exclusively for the Coterie.

King Cake Hub will launch with a Carnival Kickoff event at its physical location on Sunday, January 6, 2019. Several musicians will perform, and the event will culminate with the cutting of the first piece of king cake of Carnival.