It was a still Spring New York City night, but the Eusebio Household was a rush of activity. Jaylynn Eusebio (‘22), her aunt, Isabel, her brother, Mark, and his girlfriend, Rose, were engrossed in the process of making chocolate-covered strawberries. While her family cleaned strawberries and dipped them, Jaylynn delicately piped designs on each one. The strawberries would be sold at the first pop-up shop for Jaylynn’s chocolate strawberry business, M_jchocolatefantasy, the next day. Each strawberry had to be perfect; crisp on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside, and photo-ready. 

M_jchocolatefantasy was born out of the pandemic in January of 2021, but it originated long before that. When she was younger, Jaylynn’s Mother bought chocolate-covered strawberries for all occasions. After her mother passed away, her aunt continued the tradition. During the lockdown, Jaylynn decided to make some strawberries from scratch.

The first batch was an instant success, and Jaylynn’s brother encouraged her to share her talents and start a business. 

“I wanted to be on my feet, and I just love chocolate-covered strawberries,” Jaylynn said. “My mom always used to buy me them before she passed, so they stuck with me. That is why I have the name M_jchocolatefantasy; the M stands for my Mom’s name, Margy, and the J stands for me, Jaylynn.”

After spreading the word within her family, Jaylynn got her first customer.

“[The first sale] was to one of my grandmother’s friends,” Jaylynn said. “They called me and told me they wanted a box of six strawberries in royal blue and white, so I made royal blue and white strawberries. After I started making more sales, that inspired me to keep going.”

Since Jaylynn started selling strawberries, her aunt has become her partner and confidant. Together they brainstorm new ideas for products, like their cheesecake filling chocolate strawberry.

“It has brought us closer,” Isabel said. “We respect each other’s options. I have more of a closer relationship with Jaylynn now, not only because she’s my niece, but also helping her achieve her goals and ideas.”

Since starting her business, Jaylynn estimates that she has made hundreds of chocolate strawberries. Her customers buy strawberries for occasions like Valentine’s days and birthdays. Jaylynn created an Instagram account m_jchocolatefantasy to post pictures of her products and make sales. Her main products are chocolate strawberries and breakable chocolate capsules that can have gifts slipped into them.

While the store is run primarily through Instagram, Jaylynn held a pop-up shop on March 28th on Bruckner Boulevard. She was able to obtain a table through Miss Ashley, Jaylynn’s mentor through the program Friend of the Children. 

The night before the pop-up shop, Jaylynn assembled a team of her family members to create fresh products to sell the next day. They arrived at their stand around elvent the next day to set up the table. At first, it was daunting to stand behind the table, but the business soon picked up as people lined up to get their taste of the new vendor’s strawberries. And by the end of the day, Jaylynn sold out. 

“She has grown a lot, mentally, emotionally, and people-wise,” Isabel said. “She’s mature and she is talented. I am very happy with her work.” 

Although Jaylynn will graduate at the end of this year with WESS’s founding class, she intends to continue her work on M_jchocolatefantasy. While she is currently thinking about studying nursing, Jaylynn hopes to eventually open up a storefront for the business.

The experience of being a young business owner has taught Jaylynn fruitful skills that aren’t taught in a traditional classroom setting.

“I learned how to manage my money, how to save money, and compare the prices to how much I’m spending [to make products],” Jaylynn said. 

To other students interested in starting a business, Jaylynn suggests pursuing something that you are interested in.

“Do what makes you happy,” Jaylynn said. “Don’t give up on what you want to do. Even though it is stressful, keep pushing yourself.” 

Finally, if you need a gift for someone special in your life as the holiday season approaches, remember, there is nothing like a chocolate strawberry.

“When you give someone a strawberry, it is love, emotion, and feelings,” Isabel said. “It is gratitude and friendship. On all occasions, a chocolate-covered strawberry does not go wrong.”