Sweet Melissa began baking professionally in the Spring of 2016, after retirement from the NJ Public School System, where she taught middle school science and language arts for over 10 years. What has been a hobby and creative outlet since childhood is now a growing business. She is passionate about baking not only because it is a perfect blend of science and art, but also because it evokes a sense of nostalgia from her youth. Melissa is proud to be a self-taught baker. From a very early age she remembers watching her mother and grandmother at work in the kitchen, making the delicious recipes she uses today. She takes great pride in offering unique sweets that are as beautiful as they are delicious.

Sweet Melissa Goodness emerged from very humble beginnings. Her very first product was “Goodness Bars”, formerly known as “YogiBars”, a wholesome, gluten, dairy and sugar free granola bar, to the yoga studio she attended regularly. At about the same time, she was introduced to the owners of a new local market that was opening on LBI. One taste of her samples was enough to commission her to provide baked goods for their bakery bar. Through that relationship, Melissa began developing a variety of sweet items that would appeal to the coffee crowd; cookie sammys, chocolate dipped smores and the ever-popular, gourmet pop tart.

Sweet Melissa’s baked goodness gained quite a following within the first two summer seasons and it became clear that a kitchen of her own was necessary. In January of 2018, she was in search of a commercial kitchen, void of a storefront. However, this type of space proved to be nonexistent in the area. After finding a vacant kitchen (along with a retail space), Melissa agreed to partner with the market she had become associated with, on the opening of their second location. Theoretically, an endeavor that would benefit both businesses. Having her own kitchen to work out of, but neither having to manage nor operate the storefront, had all the potential of a symbiotic relationship. She successfully renovated the space and with much excitement, set up her first commercial kitchen, eager to expand the business and take on additional clients. The construction dust hardly settled though, before the union ended in the Fall of that same year.

After such a disheartening experience, Melissa was determined to go out on her own. Full of grit and gumption, Melissa made the decision to open her own bakery café in the “Queen City” of LBI. Although she had worked in the restaurants of LBI in her teen and college years, she had zero experience running a retail food establishment. “No Risk, No Reward” became her motto and she singlehandedly opened The Goodness Café in the Spring of 2019. In addition to a wide array of baked goods, the café served gourmet coffee drinks, teas, organic smoothies, as well as made-to-order brunch fare. After experiencing a successful first year, Melissa had even bigger goals for 2020. Running a business during a global pandemic though, proved to be a test of resilience. While the methods of doing business drastically changed from year one, surprisingly, the café’s second year proved to be the most prosperous thus far. And although operating a brick-and-mortar storefront was a great experience and the business was able to flourish, Melissa longed to build a kitchen studio where she could realize her vision of creating an online boutique bakery, allowing for the shipping of her goodness
nationwide.

In late 2020, Melissa stumbled upon the perfect site to build out her dream studio. It was truly a blank canvas though and needed much work to turn it into a practical workspace. After several delays and a lengthy construction process, Sweet Melissa Goodness has a new home in Manahawkin, NJ. The website functions as a virtual storefront. You can place an order from the online store that can be scheduled for pick-up, delivered locally or shipped nationwide. If you are in need of a quick fix, you can currently find her goodness daily at select retail establishments in the Long Beach Island, NJ Area. Sweet Melissa Goodness creates custom cakes, cookies & favors for all your celebrations. They also offer holiday campaigns & specials and participate in seasonal pop ups and farmer’s markets. Commission them to curate and create beautiful sweet & savory grazing tables and dessert displays for brunches, lunches, birthday parties, bridal & baby showers, weddings and more! No matter the occasion, they’ve got all the goodness you need. Follow this self-made bakerpreneur’s journey by staying tuned to social media for all the latest news and happenings with Sweet Melissa Goodness!