Talk Treats To Me began the way many meaningful things do — out of love, loss, and a refusal to accept “good enough.”

In 2011, our family adopted a dog named Sarorise. Like many pet parents, we trusted what was available on store shelves. Not long after, Sarorise became sick. The treats she had been eating were later included in a large recall tied to poor-quality imports. She didn’t make it.

My mom, Maggie, could not move past the feeling that the pet food industry had failed families like ours and their dogs. She began making single-ingredient treats at home with a simple goal: to create treats made only from ingredients she felt confident feeding her own dogs.

What started at home quickly grew. Friends and neighbors asked for them. Soon it grew into farmers markets and local shops. Together with my stepfather, Bruce, Maggie built Talk Treats To Me into a local favorite on the east end of Long Island. For years, they ran it side by side, committed to quality, transparency, and doing things the right way, even when it meant growing slowly.

The treats were always made in small batches using a slow dehydration process. No shortcuts. No unnecessary ingredients. Just carefully sourced meats and a lot of intention behind every decision.

In 2020, Maggie passed away after a returning cancer diagnosis.

Losing her was devastating. Letting go of the business she built with so much care felt impossible. I made the decision to continue it.

Not because it was easy, but because it mattered. Her standards mattered. Sarorise’s story mattered. And the belief that dogs deserve better food still matters.

I eventually moved the business to North Carolina, where I now run Talk Treats To Me full-time. While the location has changed, the foundation has not. We still make single-ingredient treats. We still focus on what's important. We still produce in small batches with the same care Maggie and Bruce put into it from the beginning.

Talk Treats To Me is more than a brand. It is a continuation of my mom’s legacy and a promise to never lose sight of why this business started in the first place.

All my love,
Michaela