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How often does someone get famous doing one thing and, then, while still riding high doing that very thing, resurge as famous for something else entirely?
Melissa Ben-Ishay is exactly that: a genuine original. The creator, owner and founder of Baked by Melissa built what has become a defining fixture of New York City's dessert world, those tiny, visually perfect mini cupcakes that somehow managed to be impossibly Instagrammable before Instagram was even a thing. Her cupcakes didn't just survive the social media era, they were made for it, even though they predated it.
But Ben-Ishay wasn't done. In 2021, while still helming her cupcake empire, she went viral on TikTok... for salad. Specifically, her Green Goddess Salad, which swept across the Internet and introduced her to an entirely new audience who had no idea she was already a household name in New York. Suddenly, she wasn't just the cupcake queen. She was a full-on culinary personality.
Now, Ben-Ishay is channeling that momentum into a new cookbook, her third, Come Eat: 100 Nourishing Recipes to Eat Every Day.
We sat down with Ben-Ishay to talk about her gastronomic inspirations, her favorite spots around NYC and what it means to reinvent yourself without ever leaving. Below are edited excerpts from our conversation—followed by an exclusive recipe from her new cookbook.
What inspired your latest cookbook?
"I'm really in the thick of my mom era, to say the least, and, as somebody who is in the food industry, I create one recipe a day—and yet the most challenging question I face is still: what am I making for dinner? The fact that I have to answer that for the rest of my life is crazy. This book is dedicated to moms, to make getting dinner on the table easier.
I grew up in a family where family dinner was really important. We ate together every night, and I realize now, as a mom, how important that is. It teaches kids so much more than just eating: the art of conversation, curiosity, what makes a meal a meal, which is protein, vegetables, grains. Last night I actually broke my no-phone rule at the table to show my seven-year-old why you have to eat a variety of vegetables and what that does for your body."
What section of the cookbook stands out to you the most?
"The section I'm most proud of is how to eat leftovers. They should be used as an ingredient, not a meal. They are so versatile.
You basically reinvented yourself on social media while still running Baked by Melissa after your Green Goddess Salad went viral. Was that intentional? How did it feel?
"What I'm sharing on social media is just more of myself. I think what I recognized the first moment I shared a salad on the Baked by Melissa account was: these people are giving me permission to do more. This community has been such a gift.
I really enjoy sharing on social media. I do most of my content creation on one day of the week, it's about 20% of my time, and it is genuinely the best day. I have so much fun."
How do you come up with new Baked by Melissa flavors and do you have a favorite?
"We have regularly occurring concept meetings where we plan future assortments months in advance. We know through experience, my own and the company's, what flavors work and what our customers are looking for. We engage with our customers every day. There's absolutely a desire to do something new, but within a framework that works.
My favorite is cookie dough but I'm also really excited about the limited edition flavors tied to the cookbook. I used recipes from the dessert section: day caramel, maple tahini and a donut flavor."
What are your favorite restaurants in New York?
"I love Hillstone. Their ice cream sundae comes with a vessel of hot fudge that you pour all over it, and it is amazing. While we're on ice cream: Caffe Panna is delicious, and Van Leeuwen is great: ice cream that actually tastes like ice cream, not flavorless.
And Bubby's in Tribeca: those pancakes double as dessert. I usually order a main the pancakes, and a scoop of ice cream. That's my order.
I live in Hoboken, so Antique Bar and Bakery is a spot in our town that I love. They have a bread pudding that is so good, and a cookie skillet that comes right out of the oven with a big scoop of ice cream on top. You shouldn't order two huge desserts, but it's very hard to choose between the two."
What are your favorite things to do in New York City with the kids?
"We love Broadway shows. My kids love the Sloomoo Institute, that's basically all they want to do, and the Museum of Ice Cream. But, honestly, I love to just walk around SoHo. It's so nostalgic for me because that's where it all started for Baked by Melissa."
Do you have any Mother's Day plans?
"We're going to the Union Square Greenmarket to pick up herbs and flowers for our garden, then going to breakfast and coming home to plant until the kids go and play sports. That sounds like a perfect day to me."
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