Melissa Ben-Ishay (born Melissa Bushell) is the CEO and co-founder of Baked by Melissa, a cupcake company headquartered in New York City, which specializes in small cupcakes.[1]
After graduating from college, Ben-Ishay worked at an advertising agency in New York City. In 2008, she was fired from her job as an assistant media planner at Deutsch, and was encouraged by her brother, Brian Bushell, to change careers and bake cupcakes for a living.[2][3]
The Baked by Melissa operations moved into the basement of Cafe Bari in late 2008, selling cupcakes at the holiday markets at Union Square and Bryant Park.[citation needed] In March 2009, Ben-Ishay, her brother, and three other co-founders opened a Baked by Melissa pop-up window in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.[4]
At the beginning, Ben-Ishay served as President and Chief Product Officer, with Bushell as CEO of Baked by Melissa until 2015.[1] In 2019, Ben-Ishay was named CEO.
Baked by Melissa opened its first walk-in store in 2010 in Union Square. It has 14 retail locations in the New York City metropolitan area and ships cupcakes to other localities in the United States.[citation needed]
Books
In 2017, Ben-Ishay released a cookbook titled Cakes by Melissa: Life Is What You Bake It, published by William Morrow Cookbooks.[5] The book features 120+ recipes for Ben-Ishay's favorite cakes, icings, and fillings.
Personal life
Melissa is married to Adi Ben-Ishay, who also works for Baked by Melissa.[6]
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