Jessica Romeo started a bakery business called Scrumbcious after being laid off from her job in marketing. She uses locally grown, seasonal ingredients to make unique baked goods like pumpkin whoopie pies and tomato cobbler. Romeo sells her products at the local farmer's market and through catering. Her children help out at the stand and test new recipes. Through her marketing experience and passion for baking, Romeo has found success in her new career.

1. Mom 2.0
essica Romeo of Chatham Township may
have set the baking bar high when she named
her business Scrumbcious, leaving no room for
mediocrity. But, boy, do these goods deliver. With
names like Perfectly Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Appleli-
cious Apple Pie Bars, and Chocolate Perfection, Romeo’s
goodies make your mouth water before you’ve even tak-
en a bite. “The names are tempting,” says Romeo. “That’s
my marketing background; it comes in very handy!” And
her advertising tagline of “Show no restraint!” is equally
apropos: When she first set up shop at the Farmer’s
Market in downtown Chatham Borough, many admirers
would pass by the Scrumbcious goods, citing a need to
restrain themselves for dietary reasons. “But one cookie
is not going to kill you,” says Romeo. “I’d rather you have
six cookies than go to McDonald’s for a burger.”
Romeo, a former marketing executive at American
Express who found herself with plenty of time on her
hands after an economic downsizing a year and a half
ago, turned to her first true love: baking. “I’ve always
had fantasies of opening a bakery. If I look back to
diaries as a kid, I have menus with seasonal items,” she
says. “I’m very into food. My mother was Jewish, my
father was Italian, and it was all about food.”
But these aren’t your ordinary sweets. Instead,
Romeo stresses the importance of good food and only
uses locally grown, fresh produce in season. There are
Pumpkin Power Muffins made with flaxseed, walnuts,
and whole-wheat flour; baby pear cakes; a tomato cob-
bler; and a peach galette. She often doesn’t know what
she’s making until she’s taken a trip to the area farmers,
and her menu changes seasonally. “We need to support
our local people,” she says. “Plus, it tastes better.”
From the end of June until November, you’ll find Ro-
meo selling her goods at the Chatham Farmer’s Market.
The rest of the year, she’s busy catering for birthdays,
holidays, and local restaurants. Customers find her
through her website (scrumbcious.com), Facebook, and
via word of mouth. “In a town like this, it’s all word of
mouth,” she admits.
But Romeo isn’t toiling away in front of the ovens
alone. Her kids, Braedyn, 11; Logan, 8; and Asher, 2, all
don their Scrumbcious T-shirts, with business cards in
hand, and help her out on weekends at the Farmer’s Mar-
ket. “It’s a good lesson for the kids to be a part of the fam-
ily business,” she says. Braedyn is the chief marketing
Photographedbydeborahory;
MakeupbydebbistewartandHairbyLynnBlenner,bothfromC'estLaVieSaloninChatham
12 May/June 2010 PA R K P L AC E
family affair: Jessica Romeo and her
daughter Asher, 2, proudly display one
of their best-selling items, loved by kids
and adults alike: whoopie pies.
This former marketing executive
showed no restraint when
cooking up a new career.
Sweet and
Scrumbcious
By
Molly
Tully
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Mom 2.0
14 May/June 2010 PA R K P L AC E
officer, while Logan is the chief business
officer. In addition to coming up with great
new product ideas, such as Logan’s Lemon
Dreams, perhaps their most important
jobs, however, are as the resident taste tes-
ters. “I trust kids because they don’t lie,”
says Romeo. Which may also explain her
recent fascination and focus on whoopie
pies—there’s banana mascarpone, pump-
kin, chocolate Bailey’s, and new flavors
being thought of each day. “I’m trying to
be big into whoopie pies because they’re
the next cupcake,” she adds.
But don’t let all of this sweet talk fool
you. Romeo is a savvy businesswoman.
She started the Women Business Owners
of Chatham in an effort to band together
and help home-based businesses, do-
nates baked goods to the Newcomers’
Club in an attempt to attract new custom-
ers, sponsors a baseball team in town,
and cleverly uses Facebook to promote
her business. A simple posting of her
latest Dora the Explorer cake resulted
in multiple orders. And there’s even the
possibility of opening up a storefront
in Chatham in the near future, “so they
know Mom is in town,” she adds.
“Getting laid off was a blessing,”
says Romeo. “I’m having fun marrying the
food aspect with the marketing aspect.”
And by combining these two areas of
expertise with her love of family, it seems
like she’s certainly found the perfect
recipe for success. P
This Farmer’s Market best-seller would be perfect for a Mother's Day brunch!
Peach-Blueberry Galette
“It’s a good lesson for the kids to
be a part of the family business.”
Portraitphotographedbydeborahory;Bundtcakes:karenthornton
For Cornmeal Crust:
Pulse 1 cup all-purpose flour, ½
cup cornmeal, 1 teaspoon Kosher
salt, and 2 teaspoons granulated
sugar in bowl of food processor
until just combined. Add ½ cup
cold, unsalted butter, cut into
small pieces, and process until
mixture resembles coarse meal.
With machine running, pour
¼ cup ice water through feed
tube until dough holds together.
Turn dough onto a lightly floured
surface; slightly knead until
it comes together into a ball.
Flatten into a disk, wrap tightly
in plastic, and refrigerate for 1
hour before using.
For Peach-Blueberry
Filling:
1-½ pounds ripe Jersey
peaches, pitted and cut into
sixths
1 cup ripe Jersey blueberries
½ cup granulated sugar
Juice from ½ lemon
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sanding sugar for sprinkling
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
On lightly floured surface, roll
out dough to 14-inch circle, 1/8
inch thick. Transfer dough to
parchment-lined baking sheet;
helping hands:
Jessica Romeo gets help
making cupcakes from
her daughter Asher.
refrigerate until fruit mixture is
combined. Gently combine all
ingredients, except the egg, in
a bowl. Arrange fruit on top of
crust, leaving two-inch border
all the way around. Fold border
over fruit, overlapping with each
fold, pressing lightly to adhere
the folds. Brush edges with egg;
sprinkle with sanding sugar.
Bake until crust is golden and
juices are bubbling, about 45
minutes. Transfer to a wire rack
to cool. Serve at room tem-
perature or warm with vanilla
ice cream.