Who’s answering these questions?
Melanie Moss, Pastry Chef and Owner of Mini Melanie, a start-up bakery with headquarters in FiDi.

Elevator pitch?
Our handcrafted, jewel-inspired mini cakes and chocolates are the ultimate showstoppers for any indulgence or occasion.

Intriguing! Tell us more.
Although designed with brides in mind, our mini cakes and chocolates are perfect for any elegant, decadent, fun-loving celebration. The cakes are four layers high, made from scratch with local butter and eggs, in the prestigious Hot Bread Kitchen small business incubator program in East Harlem. The chocolates are made from rich Belgian chocolate couverture and filled with a “cake n’ cream” interior. We also offer a catering menu with large versions of our popular cakes, along with edible printed logo mini cupcakes and cookies. The mini cakes are a hit with kids and have major cute-factor. All our cakes can be dressed up with a “Happy Birthday” fondant plaque, or whatever your particular message is. (Exclusive offer for Tribeca Citizen readers: Order before June 20 and get 10% off! Use the promo code “TRIBECA.”)

We deliver throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn and have over 200 customers since launching just a few months ago. And we’ve designed specialty chocolates for some of the finest luxury beverage companies, including Hennessy and Herradura.

When was Mini Melanie founded?
November 2014, one year and many recipe tests after I left my role as pastry chef at Blue Hill at Stone Barns.

Where did the idea come from?
Opening up a box of chocolates or macarons is always a celebration, but we often know what to expect: caramel, milk chocolate, raspberry, etc. What if you opened up that box, similar to opening up a jewelry box, and inside there’s a jaw-dropping jewel cake or a selection of truffles? I’ve been baking since I was six years old. Back then it was alongside my grandmother, who was usually draped in several strands of her finest pearls while rolling out a tart dough.

Why the name “Mini Melanie”?
Mini Melanie has always been a bit of a nickname for me because I’m small. Our customers have been responding so positively to our mini cakes that they’ve become our signature product. Our slogan is “A Bite of Bling” because each bite throws in some edible metallics or handmade hard candy jewels.

How big is Mini Melanie now?
I design and style every product myself. Right now, we have interns on the delivery and operations side and plan to bring on full-time employees shortly.

Where is it headquartered?
Our office is in FiDi, and our production takes place at Hot Bread Kitchen in East Harlem behind La Marqueta market. We accept pick-ups from there and all of our deliveries go out from there.

How and where you do see it growing?
We have a huge website redesign launching very soon which will make it very easy for clients to shop online. We’re offering unique collaboration opportunities to a variety of corporate industries along with some really standout packages for brides. Working out of a communal kitchen is a great way to meet with other artisan vendors in the space, but we plan to branch out into our own location soon. It won’t be a bakery or a cafe, but rather a creative pop-up shop for designing unusual tasting and collaboration projects.

Any company hangouts around here?
Absolutely! My nieces are Tribeca girls, and they love to hit up Baked with me for some brownies to dig in to at Washington Market Park. I usually fuel up at Laughing Man, and a great night off for me is grabbing some oysters and a cocktail at Smith & Mills.

Previously in this series:
••• Michelle Vale and Elena Corsano, Soak
••• Greg Schwartz, Stork
••• Anca Toderic, Huckle & Goose
••• Justin Hsu, MarcoPolo Learning
••• Marjorie Jaffe Goldner, PregPrep
••• Lianna Sugarman, LuliTonix
••• Grace Lee, Nine Naturals
••• Offir Gutelzon, Keepy
••• Lisa Ridd, Smitten Films