Timeline of Main Street Gourmet

4,507 bc Henrietta, Gorg the Great's favorite mistress, makes the first muffin in North America. Gorg complains that they are too salty.
1987 Main Street Muffin(MSM) perfects the muffin and opens up a muffin shop in downtown Akron, Ohio.
1988 Urged by a local diner, MSM begins selling frozen muffin batter wholesale.
1989 MSM produces cookie dough as a favor for some customers. We gain a large quick service restaurant chain as an account and the first sales rep is hired to sell muffin batter outside of Northeast Ohio.
1990 We outgrow the downtown building and move into an old fish distribution warehouse. Simultaneously, MSM becomes the number one user of Christmas tree car deodorizers in an effort to eliminate fish smell from building.
1991 MSM grows quickly via more regions and more quick service restaurants.
1992 MSM gets on the Inc Magazine 500 list coming in at number 319 of the fastest growing companies in America. Also, we finally get rid of the fishy smell in the floors.
1993 MSM gets on the Inc 500 list again coming in at number 285 of the fastest growing companies in America. Also first year of Muffins for Mammograms fund raiser. By 2002 we will have raised over $100,000 to provide free mammograms from this event!
1994 We begin research of the now famous fat free and low fat MSM batters.
1995 MSM moves into our new 25,000 square foot manufacturing plant on muffin lane. We also begin a licensing agreement in England and begin to form a relationship with a large family restaurant chain.
1996 MSM is sold to Kapok, eventually named Feature Foods, and acquires Cambritt Cookies. We begin to make custom batters.
1997 Our name is changed from Main Street Muffins to Main Street Gourmet(MSG). We acquire Creative Brownie, a mail order business.
1998 We introduce scones, Decadent cookies and thaw and serve Brownies.
1999 Main Street Gourmet acquires Isabella's and expands its production facility to 65,000 square feet. We hire a national sales representative, an acquisition attorney, a new sales director and introduce the "softer" Biscotti.
2000 Main Street Gourmet enters the Fund Raising Industry and exits the mail order business by selling the Creative Brownie company. We introduce cinnamon rolls and thaw and serve muffins.
2001 Main Street Gourmet winsNorth Coast 99 Award given to the best 99 companies to work for in Northeast Ohio.
2002 Main Street Gourmet celebrates 15 years of playing in batters and destroying people's diets. (if only Gorg was alive now!)
2003 Trans fats are identified as having a negative impact on our health and, as a result, we proudly announce that our All Natural Muffin Batters and our Isabella's Thaw & Sell Muffins have always been trans fat free.
2004 Muffins for Mammograms has a record year as a result of WQMX joining Akron General and Main Street Gourmet as sponsors.  The first No Muffin Left Behind outlet sale is held with a portion of the proceeds going towards the travel expenses for John Calaway, a Main Street Gourmet employee and 2005 Special Olympics participant in Nagano, Japan.
2005 John Calaway returns from the 2005 Special Olympics with 2 gold medals and a bronze medal in speed skating.  Main Street Gourmet launches its Whole Grain thaw & sell and muffin batter lines. 
2006 Main Street Gourmet enters the granola market.
2007 Main Street Gourmet prepares to celebrate its 20th Anniversary on July 17th by holding a Muffin Day celebration in downtown Akron, Ohio.


Main Street Gourmet Awards

Our commitment to excellence has not only been noticed and appreciated by our customers, it has also caught the business community’s eye. As a result of this, we have been honored with awards ranging from growth to customer service and more.

2006 Steve Marks & Harvey Nelson presented with Entrepreneurs of the Year Award by the Greater Akron Chamber.
2005 Ohio Cancer Control Model Program Award presented by The Ohio Department of Health for Main Street Gourmet’s Muffins for Mammograms Program. The program is run in partnership with Akron General Medical Center and local radio station WQMX.
2004 Entrepreneurial Achievement Award presented by Sales & Marketing Executives International's Akron Chapter for company co-founders Steve Marks and Harvey Nelson
2004 Disability Employment Awareness Award presented by the County of Summit Board of MRDD
2000, 2001, 2002 North Coast 99; Selected as one of the 99 best companies to work for in Northeast Ohio by The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
2000 Main Street Gourmet is selected to the Weatherhead 100 as the fastest (#1) growing company in Northeast Ohio.
1999 Main Street Gourmet was selected as one of America’s Most Successful 25 Small Manufacturers by IndustryWeek Magazine.
1990 – 1996 Main Street Gourmet was selected to the Weatherhead 100, a collection of the top 100 fastest growing companies in Northeastern Ohio.
1994 – 2001 Main Street Gourmet was selected by the Cascade Development Corporation for its annual Growth Award, given to the fastest growing companies in the region.
1995 Main Street Gourmet was selected by INC. Magazine and MCI to receive the “Positive Performer Award” given to 40 companies nationwide for superior customer service.
1994 Main Street Gourmet was selected by Dunn & Bradstreet as one of the 50 companies in the United States for the “Best of America” Small Business Award.
1994 Founders, Steve Marks and Harvey Nelson were selected by the U.S. Small Business Administration as the 1994 Small Business Persons of the Year for Ohio.
1993 Founders, Steve Marks and Harvey Nelson were selected by INC. Magazine and Ernst & Young as the 1993 Entrepreneur of the Year for Northeastern Ohio.
1992 & 1993 Main Street Gourmet was selected by INC. Magazine to the INC. 500 a listing of the fastest growing companies in the United States.