By Cayla Bartosz
When you’ve been a resident at Western New England University long enough, it can feel like your food options have been exhausted. Thankfully, a new homegrown student business might just solve that problem.
Comfort Kravings is a catering business that serves home-cooked meals and baked goods. It was launched in September 2025 by Jade Manoo and Ndilei Lukulay, two sophomores who met during their freshman year. Since then, the young women have developed a close-knit friendship, which has culminated in their entrepreneurial endeavor.
“It was something we’ve been planning to start since the spring semester of freshman year, and we’ve finally got the ball rolling,” said Manoo.
On how the business’s name came to be, Lukulay said, “We asked ChatGPT to give us a list of names. We settled on Comfort Kravings because it really describes the type of food we make: home-cooked and late-night cravings.”
For both young women, their passion for cooking and baking far precedes their college years. Manoo said she has been cultivating her culinary abilities since the age of 12. For Lukulay, the hobby dates back to the age of 8.
“I mostly like to make pasta or chicken dishes, because they’re really easy to get out on time,” said Manoo.
“My favorite things to cook are mac and cheese and cakes,” Lukulay said.
While the two differ when it comes to their favorite dishes to cook, when it comes to Comfort Kravings’ menu, both can agree on the fried Oreos. “Those are really fun to make,” they said.
Recently, Comfort Kravings catered at their first event, Black Student Union’s Paint and Switch on February 14. With 60 cupcakes to bake and deliver, the workload was no picnic. Both Manoo and Lukulay spoke to the challenges and satisfaction that the experience presented.
“It was a lot of cooking. It took us three days. Lots of trips to Walmart and Michael’s. It was great once it was over. It was nice to see people enjoying what we made,” Lukulay said.
At the event, they served three flavors: Red Velvet and Cream Cheese, Strawberry and Vanilla, and Cookies and Cream.
“My favorite was the strawberry cupcake,” said Lukulay. “That one was really good.”
“My favorite was the cookies and cream cupcake,” said Manoo. “I really like the frosting and the white chocolate drizzle.”
Reflecting on what they learned, Manoo said that the biggest point of improvement will be to become more efficient when it comes to turnaround time. “This first time, I feel like it took us longer than it should have because we weren’t prepared for how much we were making.”
When it comes to the future of their business in the long term, Manoo and Lukulay have their eyes set higher. When asked about it, Manoo said that consistency will be key to growing a customer base, with hopes of a food truck if it all goes well.
