Introduction[edit]

Nancy Mueller, known as the " Queen of the Quiche," is a former chemist and the founder of Nancy’s Specialty Foods, a producer and distributor of gourmet food products. Her company is known for superior tasting, premium quality, affordability, and convenience. Mueller is a businesswoman who has attained various high honors throughout her lifetime, holding positions on the Board of Directors for multiple cultural and academic institutes, including Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. She is the wife of late trustee Glenn M. Mueller'64.

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Nancy Mueller

Early Life[edit]

Nancy Mueller grew up in Latham, NY, and earned her B.S. in chemistry from Russell Sage College, a mostly women's college, in 1965. After college, Mueller joined her future husband in Palo Alto, CA, and worked for Syntex Corporation in pharmaceutical chemistry. In 12972, when her second child was born, Mueller retired from chemistry and started volunteering at a nonprofit restaurant that served quiche, which is where the idea for her company began.

Career[edit]

After marrying Glenn Mueller, working as a research chemist, and volunteering at the restaurant, Nancy Mueller started her own business, Nancy's Speciality Foods, parlaying Nancy's Quiche, both appetizers and entrees. Mueller sold her business after 22 years in July 1999 to Kraft Heinz Company, NA. Mueller now also serves on the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Opera and the American Prairie Reserve. Her honors included: the 2018 Lifetime of Achievements Award, Avenidas, 2016 Distinguished Service Award, Rensselaer Alumni Association, 1999 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, RPI, and many more.

Nancy’s Specialty Foods[edit]

Mueller's food business originated from the countless tiny quiche appetizers she would make and freeze in preparation for holiday parties. At Christmas 1976, Mueller made 8,000 appetizer-size quiches, mushroom turnovers, and cheese puffs, selling them at $3 a dozen. This led to her packaging petite quiche appetizers and selling them to local stores, eventually leading to the foundation of her company, Nancy's Specialty Foods, in 1977. It was rough initially, with just 50 employees in 1983, and $500,000 in debt. After an idea around Christmastime, Mueller and her team came up with the idea of a "Petite Quiche", popularized by Julia Child in her cookbook. Mueller showed her products to Price Club, now known as Costco just before Christmas. The products were a hit, selling out of all four locations by noon the next day. Nancy's Specialty Foods grew into the world's largest processor and marketer of frozen quiche products. The company's products include entrees, appetizers, snacks, desserts, and food services. It produces more than thirty-five tons of gourmet food products daily. The products are sold at supermarkets and warehouse stores, as well as through food service entities, across the US and Canada.

Nancy's Specialty Foods Logo

Retirement[edit]

After selling Nancy’s Specialty Foods in 1999, Mueller decided to pursue her dream of owning a yacht and traveling the world and retired. She spends on average 6 months of the year on her yacht and has visited countries all over the world including those in the Mediterranean, Caribbean Islands, Galapagos, French Polynesia, New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Sulawesi, Malaysian Borneo, East Timor, Thailand, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and more. When asked about the purpose of her travels, she talked about her lifelong dream of yachting, but also about growing her friendships over the course of her voyages. Upon a suggestion from a friend, Mueller took up underwater photography and scuba diving. Mueller was passionate about a variety of social service and conservation issues so, after her travels, she returned to serve on regional and national boards, including San Francisco Opera, American Prairie Reserve, RPI (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute), and the Waimea Ocean Film Festival in Hawaii.

RPI and Mueller[edit]

The Mueller family has been on the Rensselaer Board of Trustees for a significant chunk of RPI's history. Most notably, Glenn Mueller had been on the Board, and Nancy Mueller took over after his death in 1994. After Glenn Mueller's death, Nancy Mueller honored her late husband by contributing to laying the foundations of RPI's recreation center, the Mueller Center. It is the hub of personal fitness and wellness on the campus, which is free and available to all members of RPI.