by Stacia Friedman

Ed. Note: What is a monkey’s favorite kind of cookie? Answer: Chocolate chimp… What kind of candy is never on time? Answer: ChocoLATE!

MaryEllen Salamone, 38, who goes just by her first name, had recently opened Made By Me, her chocolate shop at Chestnut Hill’s Fareway Market (behind the Chestnut Hill Hotel; formerly the Chestnut Hill Farmers Market), when a customer rushed up to the counter.

“Your vanilla fudge! OMG!” gushed Latrice Andrews, of Conshohocken. “I offered some to my mother, and she refused. She said she doesn’t like fudge because it’s too sweet. But I told her, ‘Mom, this fudge tastes like vanilla with only a hint of sweetness.’ She took one taste and she loved it!”

Enthusiastic endorsements are not new to MaryEllen of Glenside. After graduating from Cheltenham High School, she attended The Culinary Institute of America’s Baking and Pastry Program, then spent 13 years working with top pastry chefs and chocolatiers in Las Vegas and Fort Meyers, FL.

But it was growing up in a family of passionate bakers that first introduced MaryEllen to the pleasures of dessert making. “Growing up in an Italian/Irish family, there was no shortage of food and laughs. Making cannolis and apple dumplings with my grandmother in her tiny kitchen in Chalfont is one of my favorite memories,” said MaryEllen. “I asked if I could have the recipe/recipes, and she said, ‘I have the recipes in my head.’ So, you can imagine as a child trying to ‘measure’ a handful of flour!”

MaryEllen’s other influence was her mother. “Mom is an amazing baker. I started helping her in the kitchen at the age of 6. She made it fun, and since I am one of four, desserts didn't last long at our house! Mom doesn't just have a recipe box; she has a recipe drawer! One recipe in particular I love, Irish Soda Bread, which came from my mother’s Aunt Edna in Ireland. It’s a family tradition to make this recipe every year around St. Patrick's Day.”

What sealed MaryEllen’s fate was a professional pastry chef who spoke at her school when she was in 5th grade. “She told us how her job involved eating all the cake and chocolate you want. I was hooked!”

As much as she loves chocolate, MaryEllen’s first career was as a pastry chef. “I have been doing pastries for over 20 years and was incredibly fortunate to work with some amazing pastry chefs in my career,” she said. “Pastry is what led me to my career as a chocolatier now. Eleven years ago, while working as a pastry chef for the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida, I visited a chocolate salon in Fort Myers, Florida, owned by a pastry chef whose career I had followed for years. I reached out to ask for a tour and introduction. At the end of the meeting, I was offered a job by the chef/owner.”

What brought MaryEllen back to our area? “In my profession, you miss pretty much every holiday, wedding and shower, and since I lived so far away, I missed even more of the little things,” she said. “I felt if I moved back closer to my family that I would be able to maneuver my schedule and make up for lost time. Coming home is one of the greatest career and personal moves I have ever made.”

If you stop by Made By Me this month, you’ll find a selection of handmade chocolates including: fudge, milk and dark chocolate-covered pretzels, turtles, hickory-smoked hazelnut bark, individual caramels, toffee, peppermint patties and, her best-selling peanut butter bark. What’s the difference between MaryEllen’s chocolates and commercial brands found at other shops? “I don’t use any preservatives, so my chocolates have a short shelf life. The products I sell are always freshly made.”

Starting in September, MaryEllen will feature a larger selection, including handmade truffles and sugar-free chocolates. “It’s too hot now to make truffles, but when the weather cools, I’ll be offering an assortment of eight truffle flavors: white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, pretzel, hazelnut, mint, sea salt caramel and peanut butter.”

In addition to chocolates, MaryEllen runs her own pastry business, Pastries By MaryEllen, making desserts for restaurants and shops in Glenside. She also takes special orders for wedding cakes and favors, parties and corporate events.

Stop by Made By Me at the Fareway for a free sample. For more information, visit PastriesByMe.com.