If you want to send someone a gift that will really surprise them, a Schenectady couple wants to help.

They recently started a business, "Send Me Waffles," transporting Belgian-style waffles by mail. A delicious idea that is truly original. 

“I feel like flowers have been done; chocolate-covered strawberries have been done in the mail; cookies have been done in the mail. When you receive a box of waffles, that is really cool,” said Ilene Friedman, co-owner of Send Me Waffles. “If we could send them out to more people and make more people smile and happy, then I think that’s more of our goal.”

Ilene makes gourmet Belgian liege waffles in a Clifton Park kitchen. She owns the business with her husband Keegan Bailey. Orders are placed online and shipped all over the country. Their appropriately named website went live a month ago.

“I’m just like, just call it send me waffles because that’s what you’re doing. [Keegan] looked it up and he’s like, 'oh my gosh, it is available,” Ilene said.

Ilene quit her job as a social media manager to pursue this.

“I have two kids. I really want to show them they can do whatever they want,” Ilene said.

She takes pride in their locally sourced ingredients like butter, milk, and eggs. But what really sets these waffles apart is something different. 

“The little white pearls are called pearl sugar. That is derived, and adds almost like a little crunch,” Ilene said.

It is demanding, but the freedom of entrepreneurship allows Ilene to prioritize. 

“That is my alarm to stop waffling around and go get my kids,” Ilene said.

It’s a business on the rise.

“Three years from now I envision this place bustling and there’s employees,” Ilene said.