When Syracuse University alumna Melissa Ben-Ishay was fired from her job in advertising in June of 2008, she went home and baked some cupcakes.

Fast forward six years, and Ben-Ishay is now the mastermind behind Baked by Melissa, a cupcake business that she started in 2009.

The franchise is known for serving cupcakes that can be eaten in one bite, a different approach to the traditional-sized cupcakes that many stores serve. In the five years it has been serving customers, Baked by Melissa has garnered lots of attention for its bite-sized treats. It’s been featured in Cosmopolitan, The New York Times and CBS, sparking buzz in the cupcake industry.

Baked by Melissa’s branding is based around the carefree culture of the ‘60s and ‘70s, much of which is reflected in the cupcakes’ appearance and flavors. Ben-Ishay, a 2006 graduate of the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, said that one of the store’s first flavors was a red, white and blue, classic rock cupcake.

“I love that free spirit mentality of doing things differently,” said Ben-Ishay. “That’s what we’re all about, marching to our own beat.”

Ben-Ishay’s brother, an entrepreneur, was instrumental in starting Baked by Melissa.

When she was fired, Ben-Ishay went to her brother’s office, crying. He then told her to go home and bake cupcakes, and that he’d help her start her own business from there.

In March of 2009, the first Baked by Melissa location opened in New York City’s SoHo district, and the franchise has since expanded to 12 locations in New York City and New Jersey and ships its products nationwide.

“I’m very proud,” Ben-Ishay said. “I was very fortunate to meet the right people and take advantage of every opportunity that’s come my way.”

Senior marketing and supply chain major Julia Lanza first tried Baked by Melissa when a friend’s boyfriend sent them cupcakes on Valentine’s Day last year. She said the cupcakes’ individuality comes from its miniature size that keeps people from feeling guilty if they eat more than one.

Lanza also said that Baked by Melissa’s convenient shipping system allows for anyone in the nation to receive or order the cupcakes.

“I actually got them for my dad for his birthday,” Lanza said. “He was in New Jersey, where I’m from, so it was great.”

When the company first began, Ben-Ishay did everything — she baked, boxed, shipped and made deliveries on foot. Now, she focuses more on the management and working on new flavors to push the envelope.

“My biggest strength as an individual is creating flavors that bring me back to my childhood,” Ben-Ishay said.

She added that the peanut butter and jelly cupcake is her personal favorite.

As a franchise, Baked by Melissa incorporates social media as part of its branding to directly communicate with customers. This strategy is a way to show customers that Baked by Melissa appreciates them and their loyalty, Ben-Ishay said.

One of Baked by Melissa’s social media campaigns is “Mini of the Month,” which showcases a certain flavor after customers cast their votes through outlets such as Twitter and Facebook.

“Social media is everything,” she said. “It’s a way to offer a behind-the-scenes look into what we’re doing.”

Freshman forensic science major Kenza Belhachmi, who lives in Queens, said that even though the store’s lines tend to be long and crowded, the cupcakes are definitely worth the wait.

“My family’s a really big fan of it,” Belhachmi said. “My little sister is a regular, and every time we go, she’ll buy a pack of 24 cookies and cream cupcakes which will usually be done within a day or two.”

So far, Ben-Ishay hasn’t addressed any possibility of opening a Baked by Melissa location at Syracuse, but Belhachmi said having a store on the Hill would be awesome.

“That’s just what we need here,” Belhachmi said. “I mean, who doesn’t love cupcakes?”

Published on September 9, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Clare: clramire@syr.edu