In 1996, Paul Conforti celebrated the end of his rigorous first year at Harvard Business School (HBS) with friends when conversation turned to Paul's passion for service businesses and his desire to start a restaurant company. The ensuing brainstorm session quickly focused on desserts.

With classmates Kristen Krzyzewski and Kim Moore, Paul spent the second year at HBS writing the business plan. By the time they were finished, the group was convinced they had a winning idea. Room for Dessert would be the Robin Hood of Dessert - making super-premium desserts available to everyone, not just to those who frequent fine-dining restaurants and fancy hotels.

Paul and Kim graduated, committed to opening Room for Dessert in Boston. While in search of the perfect location, Paul joined a start-up Mexican restaurant as a server and shift supervisor. Kim joined the ranks of The Cheesecake Factory, where she plated desserts and made espresso drinks. Setting the unofficial record as the lowest paid graduates of Harvard Business School, the pair gained priceless insights into the restaurant business and convinced investors of the strength of their resolve.

On July 1, 1998, their resolve paid off. Now called Finale Desserterie & Bakery- they opened their first location in Boston's Park Plaza - nestled between bustling Newbury Street and the Theatre District. Executive Pastry Chef Nicole Coady joined the team to create the sensational desserts that would be so critical to the success of Finale.

By Valentine's Day 1999, things started to simmer at Finale. Articles in the Boston Globe, Pastry Art & Design and Bon Appetit, and inclusion on the TV Food Network's "Best of Dessert" and "Best of Boston" introduced Finale to dessert-lovers across the country. And Best Dessert Awards started to roll in. Finale's mission was (and still is) to create sensational dessert experiences for every guest, every day. Give them a reason to come back, and a reason to tell their friends to give Finale a try.

In October 2002, the Finale team opened a second Desserterie in Harvard Square-taking the concept back to the place where it was born. That same year, they opened a centralized Pastry Kitchen where Chef Coady and her team create all of the sensational desserts. The third Desserterie opened in Brookline's Coolidge Corner in July 2006. More locations are under consideration throughout the region. New England is just the start of realizing the dream to create sensational dessert experiences all across the country.