Melissa Ben-Ishay, CEO of Baked By Melissa, always had a passion for baking, but it was a simple salad that launched her to viral fame and took her business to multimillion-dollar heights. Known for her signature mini cupcakes, Ben-Ishay stepped into the CEO role in 2019, just before the pandemic began. When she shared her Green Goddess Salad recipe on TikTok in 2021, it went viral, racking up millions of views and solidifying her presence on social media. Earlier this year, her cookbook Come Hungry became a New York Times bestseller.
“On a whim, I posted a salad, and it went viral with millions of views,” Ben-Ishay told Entrepreneur. Realizing the potential, she saw it as an opportunity to build a loyal community around her brand. “Even if it’s not directly showcasing our product, that relationship and connection with so many people is something money can’t buy,” she said.
Ben-Ishay’s story is one of resilience and passion. After being unexpectedly fired at 24, she turned her love for baking into Baked By Melissa, a brand now beloved for its unique bite-sized cupcakes. Her brother, Brian Bushell, encouraged her to pursue her dream, and, together with co-founders Matt Baer, Danny Omari, and Ben Zion, she launched the brand in 2008. Starting in her New York City apartment, she baked, hand-delivered cupcakes by subway, and cold-called potential clients, laying the foundation for the company’s rapid expansion.
Within a year, Ben-Ishay opened her first retail location, a small pickup window in Manhattan’s Soho district. Baked By Melissa grew steadily, using reinvested earnings to expand while keeping the business privately owned and under her direction. Over time, the brand spread to 13 locations in New York City and Boston and introduced nationwide shipping. Recently, the company celebrated its 16th anniversary with over 400 million cupcakes sold, and partnered with well-known brands like Oatly and Entenmann’s.
Ben-Ishay’s success is also due to her adaptability. Missing out on Instagram’s early growth taught her to be quick to embrace new platforms, which she did with TikTok, connecting with a fresh audience and driving brand engagement. This willingness to evolve with social media trends has been essential to Baked By Melissa’s growth.
Today, Baked By Melissa is more than just a brand; it’s an experience that spreads joy one cupcake at a time. Through passion, creativity, and a dash of ingenuity, Ben-Ishay has proven that sweet dreams really can come true.