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ou could say cookies were Sheila Coon’s destiny. Growing up, her mother owned a micro-bakery that specialized in two flavors of cookies and Coon would watch with awe her mother’s love of baking and the smiles on her customers’ faces. Coon grew up and earned her degree in paralegal studies, working both as a paralegal and in human services – and even as a chef - but that little girl was still inside of her, inspired by her mother. “I was always fascinated by the fact that she was just as happy with the baking process as the customers receiving them, which fueled my interest in owning my own food business fueled by passion and purpose,” said Coon. Coon always knew she would eventually own her own restaurant or bakery. After divorcing her first husband, she found herself working 18 hours a day and homeless. “I had had enough and began planning a way to create my own business, my own mobile real estate, my own way to stability, so I drafted a growth plan and set about making it come to life,” she said. That was the start of her business, Hot Oven Cookies. Coon and her second husband and business partner David Whittmore Coon made her sweet dream come true, with a little help. With grants and business counseling from SparkEfor All and mentoring from Valley Venture Mentors, help from “The Cookie List Book” and her children
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