A home-made success

Cottage kitchens and producers are popping up everywhere these days people who sell items made fresh in their homes at farmers markets, fairs and online, including cookies, brownies, breads, pastries, nuts, jams, jellies and other delectable items that do not require refrigeration.

Christin Lewis and Amanda Moreno had a major setback when they first set up their cottage kitchen business, Cookie Whipped, at their apartment in Irving last January. In February, after only a month in business, a fire broke out in an adjoining apartment and the entire building burned to the ground.

They walked out with only the clothes on their back.

“Friends and family helped us get back on our feet financially, and there was a GoFundMe account set up as well, which was a blessing. We didn’t have insurance and should have, and it was a real set back,” Lewis says.

The baking duo didn’t let the turn of events slow them down one bit. They quickly rebuilt, replacing baking sheets and bags of flour in a new apartment by

Preston Hollow Village. They’ve been working diligently on their cookie business for the past 10 months, baking their hand-decorated sugar cookies with a hint of lemon icing for corporate and private events across Preston Hollow.

“The most fun are the cookies we decorate for baby showers or birthdays, but we love doing corporate logo cookies, too,” said Moreno.

The owners say that being organized is of upmost importance when setting up a cottage kitchen, since most are smaller than what you’d find at a typical bakery.

“You must diligently work on staying very organized and clean to keep up with orders and get the right cookies to the right people on time,” said Lewis. “And, invest in Amazon Prime or something similar where you get free shipping.”

Since their oven is usually filled with delicious cookies, they rarely have time or space to cook a home-made meal for themselves. For anyone else considering such an endeavor, they suggest making meals ahead of time and putting them in the freezer to avoid eating out or resorting to something unhealthy.

Lewis and Moreno’s cookies are not only delicious; they demonstrate real artistic talent with the sugar arts. “We believe presentation is key, and everyone knows we eat with our eyes first,” said Moreno. “We always hear, ‘These are too pretty to eat.’ And we always respond the same way, ‘Eat the cookie!’ ”

Cookie Whipped can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and online at cookiewhipped.com.

Lauren Law is a former health care marketing executive, and is a neighborhood resident, marketing consultant, writer, wife, mom and volunteer. She writes about neighborhood issues or community areas of interest. Her opinions are not necessarily those of the Advocate or its management. Send comments and ideas to her llaw@advocatemag.com.

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