The two sisters opened Georgetown Cupcake, D.C.'s first cupcakery, in February 2008. "D.C. Cupcakes," a TV reality show starring them and their business, will premiere Friday at 10 p.m. on TLC.

What made you want to start a cupcakery?

Kallinis: Sophie and I have always dreamed of opening a bakery, since we were little girls. We baked with our grandmother growing up. ... So we quit our jobs and did it.

LaMontagne: We'd always talked about doing this, and finally we were like, "Let's just not be scared about this, let's just do it." We kind of followed our dreams.

You opened two years ago and have already garnered nationwide attention. How do you handle the success?

LaMontagne: I think we're really thankful. ... We don't take things for granted. We try to make our cupcakes the best and keep the quality up.

Kallinis: Sophie and I are very hands-on in every aspect of our business, and that's how we handle everything. We're there every day frosting, baking, overseeing everything.

How many cupcakes do you make every day?

LaMontagne: We make over 5,000 cupcakes a day now. Never did we think we would be making so many.

What time do you have to wake up to make all those cupcakes?

LaMontagne: There's some nights we actually don't even go home.

Kallinis: In the beginning, when it was just the two of us, we both got up at 4 a.m. Now we have two locations and over 100 employees, so we stagger our start times.

What makes for a good cupcake?

LaMontagne: I think using really great ingredients. We use top-shelf ingredients, like fresh fruit. ... If you really let your ingredients shine, that's the basis for really good cupcakes.

What is your favorite cupcake?

LaMontagne: Mine is chocolate hazelnut, and it's been that one since the very beginning.

Kallinis: It's a tossup. Mine changes. Right now it's peanut butter fudge, and salted caramel.

- Liz Essley