011. She Manifested A Martha Stewart Collab — And Just Renewed It. How a Second Date Idea Became a Multi-City Empire | | Elisa Marshall, Maman

Welcome back to STACKED — the show about becoming your own best asset.Today I sat down with Elisa Marshall, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer of Maman, the French-inspired café and lifestyle brand she built with her husband Benjamin Sormonte from a 1,600 sq ft SoHo grab-and-go in 2014 into 54 locations across the US and Canada, a Martha Stewart collaboration, and one of the most imitated brand aesthetics in hospitality.Elisa came up through luxury fashion buying, retail leasing, wedding planning, catering, and baking — five jobs, none of them enough. Maman was the room she built to do all of it under one roof.In this episode she breaks down how she built a hero product before social media existed, what makes a celebrity partnership actually work, the commissary model behind scaling 54 locations economically, and the line she will never cross on in-person hospitality.Key Topics CoveredMulti-passion origin story: fashion, events, weddings, baking, and the job that did not existThe first Maman in SoHo: 18 seats, grab-and-go that became sit-and-stayThe cookie that put Maman on the map and the man who drove an hour to buy onePre-Instagram virality: how a Grub Street article triggered a 24-hour bake shiftFrom 50 cookies a day to 100 dozen at peak demandWhy Elisa builds every location like it is the only oneThe four signature brand prints and the personal stories behind eachThe vintage china obsession and why customers steal itThe Martha Stewart partnership: how it came together and how it just got renewedWhat makes a celebrity collab work — and what kills most of themThe commissary model: one central kitchen, 8 to 10 satellite locationsEvents as 20% of revenue and why dinner service did not pencilSite selection: second-generation spaces with charm built inWhy Maman will never put a self-order screen in any locationWhat Elisa would do with $50K in 30 days starting over todayBuilding a legacy brand for the next generationTimestamps: 00:00 Welcome to STACKED 00:30 Introducing Elisa Marshall and Maman 02:00 Growing up between Toronto and Montreal 02:30 The five jobs era: fashion, events, weddings, catering, baking 04:00 Two entrepreneurial parents and the lesson that stuck 07:00 The first Maman: 1,600 sq ft in SoHo, 2014 10:00 Why reservations did not work in New York 12:00 The first signal: the man who drove an hour for cookies 13:30 The Grub Street article they did not know about 15:00 Fifty cookies a day to 100 dozen at peak 26:00 Maman today: 54 locations across the US and Canada 29:00 Events as a 20% revenue stream 34:00 Aesthetics as the moat: the feeling, not just the food 37:00 The four signature prints and the stories behind them 40:00 Why customers steal the china and what Elisa is building because of it 46:30 Manifesting Martha Stewart since age nine 48:00 How the Martha Stewart partnership came together 51:00 What makes a celebrity collaboration actually work 1:00:30 The hardest part of scaling hospitality 1:05:00 Why Maman will never install a self-order screen 1:07:30 Starting over with $50K in 30 days 1:10:00 Building a legacy business for her kids Tags:Elisa Marshall, Maman NYC, French café, lifestyle brand, hospitality scaling, brand building, Martha Stewart collab, café business, restaurant unit economics, commissary model, hero product, women founders, female entrepreneur podcast, café aesthetics, brand strategy, STACKED podcast, Emily Dempsey, Brickell Babes, scaling a small business, second generation real estateDisclaimer :The content shared on this page should not be construed as legal, financial, investment, or medical advice. Your viewing and/or use of this information does not create any kind of client, patient, or fiduciary relationship with us. The contents are intended for general informational purposes only, and you are urged to consult your own advisors concerning your situation and specific questions you may have.