Member Profile: Delectable Desserts

Photo: Michelle Doucette

Dennis Mbeba will tell you that he’s always known one thing about himself: he was meant to run a business. From a young age, he was drawn to sales, strategy, and the idea of building a company from the ground up. He wanted to create something unique. 

What he hadn’t found yet was the perfect golden idea, but that quickly changed when he met his wife, Melissa.

Melissa was a trained Red Seal pastry chef with undeniable talent. Dennis quickly realized their strengths complemented each other perfectly, as he understood business and she understood baking. After some convincing, they began developing a long-term business plan, studying the Halifax market carefully. As they looked at what already existed, they noticed a gap. There weren’t many reliable, high-quality wholesale dessert providers to serve the hospitality groups in the city. It felt like an opportunity.

So in 2017, they decided to take the risk. That’s when Delectable Desserts was born.

They initially opened their location as a wholesale factory only. Nestled at 50 Eileen Stubbs Drive in Burnside, you’d find their kitchen filled with racks of products ready to be shipped out to hospitality businesses around the city. If you’ve ever had a decadent slice of cheesecake or a gourmet cupcake at places like Fox Harb’r Resort, The Muir, or The Five Fishermen, then you’ve likely tasted their work without even realizing it.

Dennis handled sales and growth, while Melissa was the engine in the kitchen, supported by a small but growing team that helped keep the business running smoothly. But only a few years after opening, Covid hit. Like many small businesses, they felt the impact almost immediately. Hotels slowed, restaurants reduced service, and orders became uncertain. So they knew that they had to pivot.  

Instead of focusing on a business-to-business sales model, Dennis and Melissa turned towards more of a business-to-customer one. It was a strategic move, because they knew that during lockdown, people still wanted to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, milestones. If they couldn’t gather in large groups, they could at least send something sweet to the people they loved. So Delectable Desserts leaned into that. 

The public responded well, and continued to support post-pandemic, because their products were so memorable. Their menu includes mousse cakes, cheesecakes, classic and filled cupcakes, and dessert bundles that are perfect for events, or even a random mid-day sweet treat.

Everything is produced in small batches at their Burnside location, and they’re intentional about using locally sourced ingredients wherever possible. They also package items in sustainable materials, which has become part of how they define their quality. By 2022, the business had grown so well that they were awarded Small Business of the Year by the Halifax Chamber of Commerce.  

Today, Delectable Desserts is still happily serving the public through online orders, walk-ins, and deliveries across the Halifax Regional Municipality. But wholesale remains a big part of future plans. They want to become a staple, the go-to supplier businesses think of first.  

When Dennis talks about their future, he isn’t aiming for rapid expansion, but more so focusing on keeping standards high and scaling without losing quality. For him, growth also means thinking beyond profit, and about what kind of impact the business can have.

Photo: Michelle Doucette

During Black History Month, Delectable Desserts offers their Black Futures cupcakes and cake. Dennis emphasizes that it’s important that the conversation doesn’t stop just at history. “We have to talk about the future too,” he said. “What the Black community is building right now, and what’s coming next.” 

Proceeds from the Black Futures products go toward local initiatives that they personally select each year. They make it clear that it’s not about attaching a cause to a product for attention, but simply aligning their business with their values. Giving back is built into how they operate, as Dennis stated that he believes that if you’re building something within a community and growing because of it, then you have a responsibility to support back into it.

Throughout our conversation, Dennis also kept circling back to gratitude. For his dedicated team, for his wonderful partner Melissa, and for their kids, who have grown up watching their parents build something from scratch. He doesn’t present himself as a solo success story, but emphasizes how collaborative it’s all been.

Delectable Desserts started as a small wholesale operation, which has now survived a pandemic, grew alongside a family, earned industry recognition, and continues to evolve. Halifax may have more dessert options now than it did in 2017, but the space they carved out is distinctly theirs. Stop by their Burnside location or order online, and you’ll see why their desserts have become an essential part of the city’s food scene.

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