Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 8/2/2022
WARE – Ware residents looking for a locally made sweet treat can stop by the Ware Bowling Alley on weekends and a few upcoming Thursdays and Fridays and will find Mel’s Sweet Treats – a mobile cupcake shop specializing in specialty cupcakes and macaroons.
Owner Melissa Vasquez explained to Reminder Publishing the inspiration behind her shop. “I really wanted to do something unique because we don’t have anything like this around here. Usually, I set up in the Ware parking lot. I thought what a great idea to be able to bring my desserts to the people.”
Vasquez started Mel’s Sweet Treats in 2018 by making chocolates from home. Then, she had to close for several years due to COVID-19. During the coronavirus pandemic, she bought a pop-up camper and decided to make Mel’s Sweet Treats a mobile business.
“One of my hobbies was making cupcakes from home,” Vasquez replied. “My family encouraged me to start my own business doing just cakes and not chocolates. I looked and saw the licensing, fixed up the old camper and that’s when I decided to do cakes and cupcakes.”
Vasquez’s background was in health care as a nurse and paramedical examiner for many years. Eventually, she transitioned to staying at home with her oldest child who she began to homeschool. That is when she began baking and doing candy making as a hobby.
The more Vasquez got involved in making baked goods, the more she loved it and realized baking was her passion, she explained. “I love doing this,” Vasquez said. “I absolutely love decorating cupcakes so that’s why I decided to take it a step further. I can be home with my children and family and still do what I love.”
Vasquez has a rotating special she does every week, crafting unique treats such as push-up cupcake pops, waffle bowls and sundae cups – which are ice cream cupcakes using her signature buttercream with a variety of cookies, candy, sprinkles, chocolate covered cookie sticks, rolled wafers and white and regular chocolate drizzle. She also offers two to three flavors of gluten-free cupcakes and five flavors of keto cupcakes a week. Vegan goods can be made, but by special order.
Currently, Vasquez is working on her food trailer. She is in the process of making it bigger, so she can start selling iced coffee and other cold drinks or juices to pair with her cupcakes.
“I think it’s awesome how I have so many returning customers who are supportive,” Vasquez said. “The community has been very supportive of my business, and it is a wonderful feeling. I bring uniqueness to Ware and a little bit of a break. You can stop by, have a chat and grab yourself a delicious treat.”
Vasquez has 12 different flavors of cupcakes she offers.
Her top sellers are the peanut butter cup cupcake, which is a chocolate cupcake with her signature peanut butter buttercream frosting with a chocolate drizzle and Reese’s’ pieces on top. Next, is her Oreo cupcake – a chocolate cupcake with an Oreo buttercream with chocolate drizzle and an Oreo on top. Finally comes her lemon raspberry cupcake – a lemon cake with a raspberry buttercream frosting topped off with red and white chocolate. Sometimes she will throw in a new flavor like a peanut butter Oreo buttercream – a peanut butter buttercream with crushed Oreos which, Vasquez highly recommends if you like Oreos and peanut butter.
She continued, “We did the Ware carnival this year, the first one they’ve had in a while and we’re going to be doing the Belchertown Fair. We’re starting to look into doing other big events; branching out and parking our unit in other places too, but for right now taking on the Belchertown Fair is our next big accomplishment.”
Mel’s Sweet Treats is located at the Ware Bowling Alley parking lot on 140 West St. They are officially open from 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, but for the next three weeks they will be open on Thursday and Friday afternoons as well. Visit Mel’s Sweet Treats Facebook page for more information or contact Vasquez by email at Wellmel0429@gmail.com or by phone at 603-393-1428.