When the real estate industry began to suffer, Nikki Lewis knew it was time to bail for a better business. That is whens he turned a sour market into sweet opportunity with her Mallow Munchies.
“I have always loved making Rice Krispie treats—I made them with my mom as a kid,” she said. “I’ve been to fancy restaurants and gotten dessert, but when I’m at home I always make Rice Krispie treats.”
In June 2009 the down-on-her-luck ex-investor started testing different recipes for marshmallows in her home kitchen. One of her secrets? Beef-based gelatin. Lewis doesn’t eat pork, and wanted to find an alternative way to make her marshmallow.
Lewis started selling her treats—huge blocks of crisped rice held together by homemade marshmallow either plain, topped with chocolate, caramel, or filled with a variety of “mix-ins” like roasted pumpkin seeds and cranberries—at the Owings Mills farmers market.
“I went there just to get feedback from people and find out if this could be a viable business for me,” Lewis said. “The feedback was extremely positive and I just expanded the business from there.”
What’s the next step for Lewis? She plans to open an as-yet-unnamed cafe in the Ross Village shopping center at the corner of Philadelphia and Rossville Roads.
Photo from Mallow Munchies