#sparkchamber 080320 — Sue Leedom
Tomorrow is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day … which got the #sparkchamber team a little bit curious. Turns out, the chocolate chip cookie was invented in the late 1930s by American chef, Ruth Graves Wakefield. Where did that idea come from? One story goes that she had run out of baker’s chocolate [which melts into the cookie dough producing a chocolate cookie] so she instead added a chopped-up Nestle’s semi-sweet chocolate bar [guessing that it would melt into the dough in the same way]. But not so! It was quite on purpose.
Ruth and her husband were owners of a tourist lodge on a toll road halfway between Boston and New Bedford. At their Toll House Inn, travelers paid a toll, changed horses, and enjoyed home-cooked meals. She cooked the meals, but was actually best known for her desserts. “We had been serving a thin butterscotch nut cookie with ice cream. Everybody seemed to love it, but I was trying to give them something different.” And the Toll House Chocolate Crunch Cookie came to be.
Over the next several years, the cookie became a nationwide sensation. Nestles and Ruth formed a partnership — they invented the chocolate chip because of her, and put her Toll House cookie recipe on the package [Ruth died in 1977, but her recipe is still on the package!]; she received one dollar in cash, and a lifetime supply of Nestles chocolate. Invention and entrepreneurial spirit for the win.
Cut to today. Small businesses are the soul and spirit of the national economy. In 2019, they were responsible for two-thirds of net new jobs and accounted for 44% of U.S. economic activity. And then, as we all know, the pandemic shut it all down. Running on grit and small margins, the shut-down hits small businesses the hardest. To show them love, shop small when you can. Order takeout. Buy gift certificates to use later. Every action — no matter how small it may seem — adds to the collective impact, and hopefully a positive outcome.
And, tomorrow, that means chocolate chip cookies from your local bake shop! For those in the Los Angeles area, you can celebrate the day at Mollie B’s Cookies, and give support to #sparkchamber alum, head baker and owner, Sue Leedom.
In her own words,
“I have been baking since childhood. My Grandma Mollie and her sisters lived in close proximity to one another and they used to get together for something called, “Coffee and . . .” The “and” was a delicious, scratch-made dessert that one of the “girls” whipped up and shared together. I lost my mother to cancer when I was young and relied on those recipes and traditions to keep me grounded.
Coming from a Jewish family [like any other family, really] can get very comical. Most families sit down to a regular buffet. My family sat down to a “pill” buffet to alleviate their aches and pains. Oy. My Grandma and her sisters were a little nutty, but they were mine and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
I worked in corporate for 30 years [not a fan!] I was diagnosed with cancer at 42 and didn’t work for 10 years. Happy to report, 17 years cancer free! My love of baking and carrying on those traditions became more important than ever. One day, my husband said, “Would you just make the cookie already?” Voila! Mollie B’s Cookies was born.”
Follow Mollie B’s Instagram and Facebook. And for more on Ruth Graves Wakefield, two inspiring books for young readers tell more of the story. How the Cookie Crumbled, and One Smart Cookie.
Oh, by the way, Mollie B’s has chocolate chip cookies for everyone — including vegan and gluten-free varieties! The day gets better and better!
Sue’s thoughts on the creative process, originally posted in May 2018:
1.] Where do ideas come from?
Definitely from my mother, my grandmother, and my aunts. Just thinking about their recipes and hearing them say, “It has to be made from scratch, and you have to do it this way,” brings a smile to my face. I definitely pay homage to those recipes, then I put my spin on it. [Hope they aren’t looking].
2.] What is the itch you are scratching?
The itch is the “Mollie B’s Mission.” The mission is I’m not really selling a cookie, I’m creating a cookie experience. The cookie is the vehicle for people to slow down, connect [turn off your phone!] and be in the moment. Sharing memories, laughing, and talking, to me, is another form of meditation. Oh yeah, having something scrumptious to do it with puts the frosting on the cake. [Pun intended.]
3.] Early bird or night owl, tortoise or hare?
Early bird-ish. I definitely need my morning traditions, coffee, dogs, etc., before I get going. I’m definitely a tortoise. Make no mistake, I get to my destination, I just might stop and smell the cookies along the way. I’m finally learning that I’m a much better human and baker when I pay attention to my daily peaks and valleys.
4.] How do you know when you are done?
Are we ever done? There is always more to learn, taste and do.
