Balancing Family and the
Sweet Success of
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Desserts
By Angelina Cappiello
Photo Courtesy Jessica Lacurto.
https://jessicaelbarphotography.com/
Mom, wife, boss, and Real Housewives of New Jersey star Melissa Gorga proves she can do it all—balancing family life with thriving business ventures. In December 2024, she turned a televised family insult into a sweet triumph, launching Let’s Sprinkle by MG. The brand’s almond sprinkle cookies and sprinkle coffee cake have quickly become fan favorites—irresistibly delicious and perfect for any family occasion.
But Gorga’s talents don’t stop at the kitchen. With her signature flair for fashion, she recently opened a second location of her women’s boutique, ENVY by Melissa Gorga, in Huntington, New York.
Between motherhood, entrepreneurship, and television, Gorga makes multitasking look effortless. Taking a break from her packed schedule, and a house full of sleep over guests from her daughter Antonia's 20th birthday bash, she sat down with Preferred Health Magazine to share the inspiration behind her dessert brand and the importance of having a well-balanced life.
"I get the last laugh with that whole situation."
Preferred Health Magazine: Let's face it, sprinkles make everyone smile! (All except for one).
The sprinkle cookie moment from RHONJ Season 3 with your sister in-law Teresa Giudice became iconic. What inspired you to transform that moment into the Sprinkle by MG brand, launched in December 2024, and how did you know the timing was right for this venture?
Melissa Gorga: Well, you know what, that scene from the show was a very authentic scene because I truly love sprinkle cookies. And I've always had, like, this iconic love for a sprinkle cookie, it's always my first choice. I was pregnant at the time when I brought sprinkle cookies to the house. And they got thrown in the garbage! I was very insulted. But it's always nice —when someone throws you a dig and you turn it into something that ends up being such a hit and so profitable. So I get the last laugh with that whole situation.
It's been such a blessing. I knew the fans would go crazy over this and be excited about it. But when I actually brought it to them, they saw that it's not just a gimmick, but a great, high-end Italian almond butter cookie. When everyone opens the box, they can smell the Italian bakery inside. Basically, everyone is like 'Wow' — and it really took off because they were like, 'Wait a second, this isn't just funny. They're actually delicious, and they're great'.
PHM: Now we hear that you spent nearly two years finding the right baker.
Is that right?
MG: No, it wasn't 2 years. It was a couple of years that I was thinking about creating the company. I just wasn't sure because I was filming a lot. I'm always stretched thin. I have a lot on everyone, three kids at home, and I'm very hands-on. And so when we took a break from the show, I just was like, you know what, now is my time. And so I went for it. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I worked with the baker. We tested recipes a couple of times until he got it right, and it was perfect.
PHM: I got the cookies and the coffee cake delivered to my house, and I swear it was as if it came straight from the oven. It was just the right consistency and ratio of sprinkle to cookie, and I can taste the almond, which I am such a big fan of. I love almond cookies. It was just so delicious. And then I tasted the sprinkled coffee cake, and I almost fell off my chair. Tell me what inspired you to create this coffee cake, and what else we can expect from your brand?
MG: Yes. We just want to keep creating more products and that was the next best thing. We have some more coming out for the holidays that I'm going to announce very soon. The coffee cake is so good. I leave it here on my counter all the time because it's so pretty [to look at through the clear cover]. But the problem with the coffee cake is that I leave it on my counter, and we all take a slice. The whole family, like in the morning and at night. It's good when you need something sweet and you just want a little sliver or something. We just constantly slice at it all day long.
PHM: How has RHONJ fans felt about Sprinkle brand's success, and what is it like to see them really embrace this new business of yours?
MG: With this business... listen, with Envy it's been a decade and they have been supporting. They literally watched me build Envy from the ground up. So it was a little different because they saw me as a young housewife with young children and a young mom with wants, having these dreams to build. So that was something that they watched me build on the show, and watched me go through the ups and downs with my family as I tried to become someone who's actually working outside of the house.
With Sprinkle it's different because I didn't launch this on the show. The Real Housewives of New Jersey has never seen the sprinkle cookie and its success. The fact that they were never even on the TV show is the crazy part of it all. You know, that's that was the shocking part of it all.
PHM: You’ve juggled Sprinkle by MG, Envy boutiques, and your role as a mom to Antonia, Gino, Joey Jr., and wife.
How do you manage the demands of entrepreneurship while prioritizing family, and what strategies help you maintain that balance?
MG: Oh, I'll be honest. Out of everything I do, the schedule is the hardest part. It's so hard for me, and it's something that is very important in my life, because I need to make time for everyone, everything, and all my businesses, including my children. The dinners with my children are important to me, so when I am scheduling work events, I always make sure there are a couple of days during the week when I'm home with my kids. I would never work back-to-back nights. I just won't do it. I make sure that they see us home, and we're having dinner with them. And you know, there are weeks that are worse than others, where there are a lot more work events than others, or, you know, depending on the holiday with the sprinkle company, which has all my attention.
So it's hard and it's all about balance. You know that is the hardest part, and I'm big on my schedule and I'm big on balance. I also have friends that I love and an extended family, my sisters, my mother, everybody wants to see me and have dinner. And so this schedule is important. It is something that I rely on and live by my schedule. I check it twice, and I have someone who helps me do that. I am constantly on there, making sure 'I am home with the kids this night,' 'Am I home with the kids that night'. It's definitely a game of figuring out balance with that, and I sing the song in my head sometimes from 'Finding Nemo' where I'm like, 'just keep swimming, just keep swimming.'
I truly do. And I tell myself you get through day by day because sometimes I'll look at the calendar and I'm like, 'Wow, how am I going to get all this done? I have to schedule hair and makeup. I have to go to the football BBQ.' And so if I look at the week ahead on a Monday, sometimes I'm like, 'Oh my goodness. OK, here we go.'
And I just keep swimming.
PHM: Parenting. It's really about being an influence on our children. They see you working, reaching, and exceeding goals, and that helps, in turn, influence them to achieve their goals. Do you feel the same way?
MG: Yes, I'm huge with that.
I always talk to them about that. That is the key in our household, to constantly talk about the future and what you would do. And like with Antonia, maybe we can come out with something that's just her piece of Sprinkle. You know, I'm always talking to them about what's next and what they want to be and to work hard. I mean, they have the two hardest-working people in their lives between Joe and me. We really put the time in. So they know what hard work looks like for sure. Like when I came out with the cookies — because I launched this over the holidays, they saw a lot of it, and we were watching the computer, the numbers, and how it went viral on TikTok. And it was fun for them to be like, wow, my mother created this brand that kind of took off—because they're fans of TikTok and they follow influencers and all of this. And to see their mother be able to, you know, pull that off right before their eyes, and the giggling we had at home with like, just the sails and how we can't believe how people are taking to this was kind of fun to do as a family. And they were like, 'Wow, this just happened in our house,' you know.
PHM: How are you with delegating work at home.
Is Joe a big part of it, and does he help you?
MG: I would definitely say I'm more of a juggler than Joe is. He's kind of consistent with his work schedule. He leaves the house at 6 AM and comes home at 6 PM. He'll be home for dinners with the kids and their games, which he never misses. And you know what? We found our groove as a couple. I know when he can't miss a beat, and he knows when I can't miss a beat, and we work together on that.
PHM: What advice would you offer to moms—or women in general—who are considering launching their own business? While it’s certainly not an easy path, many people today are pivoting into new careers or exploring passions such as baking or cooking. What guidance would you share with those ready to take that step?
MG: You know what I'm going to tell them… Stop hesitating! Because I hesitate a lot, too. Just go for it! Go for it and put in the least amount of money and investment. You can start very small and gradually build it. Don't try to jump into something where you'll have a big lease or overhead and employees. Start small and use social media. Right now, that's everything. Push it on social, see if people like it. Instagram has so many ways now to get you into their algorithm, whether you're a celebrity or not. So I say don't hesitate, the longer you wait, the longer you're procrastinating. Go ahead and try it in baby steps. Whatever the most minimal step you can take is—start there and just build off of that.
Click here to order your Sprinkle cookies or coffee cake in time
for the holidays!!
https://letssprinklebymg.com/