Local serial entrepreneur Diana Moss is partnering with her chef sister, Melanie Moss, to add a retail angle to Mini Melanie in a brand new addition to the Chelsea Market, offering cakes, cookies and my weakness (and their specialty): cake truffles. (The truffles are really not like cake at all, which is why I like them. They are way richer.)

Melanie was the head baker and pastry sous chef at Blue Hill at Stone Barns when she first launched Mini Melanie in Fidi, setting up her kitchen at the non-profit incubator (no pun intended) Hot Bread Kitchens in East Harlem. A few years later, she was the Chopped champion in 2018 for its special episode “Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate.” (Diana’s husband, Evan Frank, is a founder of onefinestay and their kids, Alice and Alfie, are at 234 and in pre-K.)

When the two women decided to join forces, they took advantage of a residency at the Chelsea Market offered by Hot Bread Kitchens; they’ll pay no rent for six months, making it possible to test the retail waters (Los Tacos #1 got a similar start that way). If it goes well, they will explore their options. In the meantime, they have a healthy wholesale business going as well, with their cakes offered locally at The Wonder, custom corporate sweets (think edible logos), catering, and a birthday business launching this month. Their kitchen is in Williamsburg, where they have a team of cooks and offer cooking classes for kids and adults.

“Our thing is cake, but we want to have a cake for everyone,” said Diana. (The Chelsea Market has a special selection of cookie pies, which are like thick, iced cookies in pie form.) “We want to be a part of people’s celebrations.”

While they have both had a lot of success with their own businesses, it seems they are having a blast owning this together. They have no investors, no board of directors — and no pressure to do anything other than what they want to do as a team. “Our kids are involved, our husbands are our advisors, our parents are in the kitchen packing cookies during the holiday season. It’s just been great.”

They have the space at the Chelsea Market through the beginning of June. Stop by.