Becky Rosenthal is in the business of spreading the joy of cream cheese. But, it’s not your average cream cheese. This is cream cheese with a sweet twist.
Rosenthal was surprised with a $10,000 grant from ezCater live on "Good Morning America" today to help with her small, women-owned business in honor of Women's History Month.
“We like to say that we’re reimagining cream cheese,” business owner Rosenthal, 29, told "GMA."
“I realized that cream cheese is just such a versatile ingredient,” she said. “There's so much that you could do with it. You can bake with it. You can cook with it. It's in dips. You can serve it hot. You can serve it cold.”
Becky’s idea to use cream cheese as a base for both sweet and savory snacks was sparked by a late night craving six years ago.
“One night, I was playing around in my kitchen. I started throwing ingredients together,” Rosenthal explained. “I just was trying to come up with something that was quick and delicious. And I made these chocolate-dipped cream cheese bites.”
The bite-sized treats were whipped, pipped and dipped into chocolate. She called them: Becky’s Bites.
“I came up with the idea and realized I could make limitless flavors,” Rosenthal explained. “When I realized the potential of the idea I had, I quit my job and knew I had to pursue that direction.”
Rosenthal launched her Becky’s Bites catering business in 2013. Soon after, she would meet her now-husband Richard.
“She was literally making all 800 [bites] using her refrigerator, in her Upper East Side apartment,” Richard Rosenthal told ABC News. “It was all hands on deck. She was catering herself. She was doing everything herself.”
“Being a small business owner is really hard,” Becky Rosenthal said. “There's ups and downs. And that's okay. That's part of the ride. But it makes you even that much more proud of it, when you get through to the other side.”
(MORE: Happy Birthday Oreo! We're celebr-eating with this dad's creative cookie designs and recipes)Inspired by his wife’s passion and drive, the couple teamed up as business partners. Eventually, Becky Rosenthal's catering ambition outgrew her New York City kitchen.
“One night, my husband and I were talking about the concept and we realized that having a retail store was really what it needed,” Becky Rosenthal said.
So in 2017, the Rosenthals took a leap of faith and launched Becky’s Bites –- a 300 square foot storefront -- in New York City.
“We have, basically, put it all on the line,” Richard Rosenthal said. "Everything we can put towards this business, we are.”
For the couple, it’s all about finding the balance both as business partners and now as new parents. Just one year later, they welcomed baby George -– which gave Becky a new perspective.
“I hope that George learns to just be true to who he is,” Becky Rosenthal said. “We always come back to, do we still believe in this? Does this feel right? And I think you just have to trust your gut. And then at least you can say that you did it, and you have no regrets. So I hope that he learns that from us.”
Becky Rosenthal is also expanding with a new line called Becky's Dips.