A cookie is more than just a cookie

Words I’ve come to live by. Let me introduce myself to you. My name is Leah, a pastry chef, a lover of expanding my knowledge through experience, and a traveler. I’ve lived many lives in these 37 years, Pastry Chef & entrepreneur the two more recent skillsets. It so happens in 2019 in my little corner of Chicago, I was able to create a company that evolved into a bakery called Cookies & Conversations. Grab a Cookie, let’s talk is what its all about.

When I started Cookies & Conversations in 2019 the world was still open, I was excited about how I could use food to bring people together, hands off for me, hands on for those with the kit. With incredible encouragement from a dear friend, I figured out a way to make a little kit with cookie mix and conversation cards, a whole vibe. I wanted individuals to create an intimate at home atmosphere of connectivity in real time where memories are made, beyond the scope of interactions over a little pocket sized screen. The love was there, just like when I was little cooking with my Grandpa, and licking the bowl with my Gaga… Memories created in real time. From there in 2019, a whole bakery grew.

Its 2023 and now more than ever, there’s a real need to physically connect now as the world opens in this Covid cautious climate. There are more and more people describing the ache it is to be physically deprived of human touch, and our hyper tech connected 24/7 tech driven experience also drives that. We are overwhelmed and having a hard time balancing all the things. So grab a cookie and lets talk, that’s what this is all about, how a cookie is more than just a cookie.

A Cookie is more than just a cookie for sure. Of course we know cookies as delightful confections that travel well, pack well, sell well. I mean you need a quick pick me up for dessert, a cookie is a great option. Need to make something real quick, bake some cookies. Need a fun activity to keep kids busy for a bit, bake some cookies. Like the ease, simplicity, and connivence of a cookie is so great. Its also a versatile instrument for delight! The ingredients, the ways in which it can act as a crust, as a scoop, as a canvas for art… But lets think about that more shall we?

How many of us have spent some time in life baking with loved ones? How often were some of the first kitchen experiences cookies with the caregivers in your circle? How often do you think about how you even get to the ingredients that make up a cookie, and where they came from? Its the human history, the present moment fueled by the past. Cookies are little vehicles with so much more reach and I welcome you to not only try some of my cookies, pick up a kit, but also come along on the ride as I share stories, history, facts and more about the ways this magical little bite can be so much more!

Bon Appetite!