MTHS Graduates: Dorm Room Proprietors of Free Enterprise

On September 1, 2010 Rutgers University released a survey indicating that two-thirds of those polled believe the economy will remain in a recession through 2011.  Additionally, 18% fear that a depression is on the horizon.

Yet, despite the grim public opinion regarding economic recovery, 2007 Montville Township High School graduate, Melissa Pallay, of Pine Brook, has embarked on an entrepreneurial endeavor of epicurean proportions. 

The Columbia University senior, a chemical engineering major, has joined forces with classmate and biomedical engineer, Megan Schultz, to launch Mimi Truffles.  Together these Columbia engineers hand-make and decorate unique and unusual cake truffles for weddings, special events, and individuals.  They also supply Westside Market, on Broadway in Morningside Heights, near Columbia, with a weekly supply of the tasty morsels. 

"They're different, it's sort of a niche," said Pallay.  "They are truffles made with cake."

Hazelnut, strawberry shortcake, blueberry muffin, confetti, banana bread and red velvet are a sampling of the flavors offered on mimitruffles.blogspot.com.  Each confection can be decorated to a client's specifications, such as the blue and white Columbia University Study Break truffles, the pink ribboned Relay for Life truffles, or the green leaf Earth Day truffles.

Red velvet is Mimi Truffles' biggest seller.  It features a dark chocolate coating over a moist Red Velvet cake center.  The blueberry muffin has a dough-like center with a white chocolate coating, and the Strawberry Shortcake blends a creamy cake center with a milk chocolate coating.  

It all started a little over a year ago, on a trip to South Carolina.  There, Pallay tasted an earl grey tea truffle that she thought was not only lovely to look at (so, lovely, in fact, that she photographed it before taking a bite) but, as she put it, "it tasted amazing."

Coincidentally, not long after the earl grey truffle experience, she and Schultz competed in a Columbia sponsored scavenger hunt of New York City.  During the event they purchased truffles from two separate high-end chocolatiers in New York. 

"Truffles are so expensive," noted Pallay.  "I'm big on small desserts, I always want a little something at the end of my meal, you know?  Not a big dessert,just something sweet.  I like truffles because, who doesn't?"

Being college students, the two decided to bypass the expense of a commercial confectionery, and see if they could make truffles themselves.

They Googled a recipe, and mixed together fresh ingredients, to make their first batch of truffles.

"We loved them.  They were so good," said Pallay.  "Everybody loved them, all our friends, but there were so many truffles from one batch, and we didn't want to eat them all ourselves."

The two continued to experiment with different flavors, textures and decorations.  This led them to the discovery of their unique cake truffle recipes.

One night, with so many truffles left over from a batch, and the desire to come up with the funds to try a new flavor, the two went door to door, selling cake truffles to their classmates.  Within twenty minutes the batch was gone, and people wanted more.

Within a few weeks, Mimi Truffles was launched.

"It sort of evolved," said Pallay of the confectionery business the two now run out of their dorm room.  "It came to us naturally though a series of events that led to it.  It just felt right."

What started as a hobby became profitable, especially once the two landed the Westside Market account.  

Pallay and Schultz artistically packaged up several of their most popular flavors, wrapped them in cellophane with a gold sticker on top, and went over to see the manager of the Westside Market.  The manager liked the presentation, introduced them to the bakery manager, who tasted them, and together they ordered a dozen for a test run.  Within a few weeks Mimi Truffles was enjoying a standing order of six dozen per week. 

"Cake truffles are great because they appeal to all ages… anyone who likes cake or chocolate," said Pallay.  "Adults like our red velvet and hazelnut flavors, and kids like the confetti flavor."

Pallay just completed a summer internship, in chemical engineering, at Avon in New York, and Schultz spent the summer in Los Angeles participating in cancer research.  Their foray into small business ownership grew out of their love of truffles. 

"We like to work together, it's something different," said Pallay of Mimi Truffles.   "It uses our communication skills and our engineering skills in a different way. It's fun."

"A year ago, I didn't know there was going to be a business, so I didn't know where it was going," she said. "But, now we have more experience, and we have been given more advice.  I think we both would be ecstatic, and would find it adorable, to have a store."

In the meantime, the Columbia seniors will be completing their engineering degrees, looking to further their engineering careers post graduation, and expanding their truffle making business to include more large orders for clubs, special events, and stores.

"It's easy and fun.  We can do it with our school work," said Pallay.  "It's like, 'take a nap or make truffles?' So we make truffles. This year we want to refocus and go beyond the Columbia area to get even further into New York City."

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