Queens of Cobbler make a deal on national television

what he continues to do.

Starting slowly, Jordan and his mother attended Farmer’s markets and found great success for their products. Soon, the family enlisted the help of Jordan’s other aunt, Valeria Hill, and his older brother JD and decided to establish a brickand-mortar store in San Jacinto.

Jordan continues to work full time, while the other family members work part-time. Currently, shop hours have been reduced while the family is pursuing wholesale opportunities and implementing shipping operations. They are now set up and ready to ship online and will be adjusting that service as needed.

Diane

A. Rhodes Special to Valley News

When sisters Valeria Hill and Verdie Dennis attended a taping of the popular television game show “Let’s Make A Deal,” Dennis said she was excited to be chosen as an on-air contestant. When interviewed as to who she was and what she did, she pitched her family’s Queens of Cobbler business in San Jacinto.

Dennis shared a family-sized cobbler with host Wayne Brady and said she was thrilled that he enjoyed it. Due to contestant restrictions, the family cannot comment on their appearance, other than to share that the episode is scheduled to air Thursday, May 11, at 9 a.m. on CBS.

Dennis said the experience was amazing.

“Everyone we came into contact with, from the producers and the staff welcoming you and working backstage, to Wayne, Tiffany and Jonathan, treated us with such kindness,” she said. “I had heard people say Wayne was one of the nicest guys in Hollywood and I could see why. If you’ve ever considered appearing on a game show I would say, go for it.”

Queens of Cobbler officially opened its local shop in December 2021, but its history and reputation for great-tasting cobblers goes way back. Verdie and her husband opened a restaurant in Phoenix in 2002, and her cobblers gained a strong following, selling out every day. By 2004, a second restaurant was opened at Sky Harbor Airport where the cobblers would sell out daily.

“After almost 10 years in the business, my parents decided to close the restaurants, but my mother and aunts continued to supply cob- blers for some local restaurants,”

Dennis’ son, Jordan Dennis, said.

“Growing up in a kitchen, I’ve always had the desire to own my restaurants like my parents did. So, fast forward to 2017, my mother and I had been living in California for a few years and I’m still pestering her about taking another shot in the food industry. She is reluctant but entertains the idea, so the desire never really left.”

Then in July 2019, Verdie was diagnosed with Stage 2 breast cancer, which devastated the family and put many things on the back burner But Verdie’s entrepreneurial spirit prevailed, and she proposed the idea to Jordan of starting a business that featured only their popular cobblers.

Jordan saw it as an opportunity to get to work with his family and represent a product he really believed in, while getting back into the food industry. He began helping with the baking, packing, selling and delivering of items in the community during this time.

“In March of 2020, the week after my mother successfully beat cancer and had her last treatment of radiation, the world was shut down to quarantine because of COVID-19,”

Jordan said. “Like everyone else, we halted the business due to health concerns for us and our valued customers. We didn’t do anything with the business as we both still worked full-time jobs elsewhere. Then, in July of 2020, my Aunt Vicki (his mother’s identical twin sister) was diagnosed with breast cancer.”

The following month, Jordan’s employer was forced to cut costs and as a result, he was laid off from his job at a university. Since there was an anticipation of Jordan losing his job, he had already told his family that if he did, he would work full-time with the business, which is

“The business has been very exciting since opening the doors,” Jordan said. “It is a wonderful feeling to be able to share a recipe so close to us with the community and see their response to it. Since opening we have had to take a step back from the weekly markets, but our joy is connecting with the community, shaking hands with the supporters, and receiving new and returning customers.”

He said their steadiest customers are those that purchase a cobbler to take to a personal event such as a birthday party, family gathering or holiday celebration. With a large variety of flavors to choose from, he said it is hard to pinpoint a popular favorite.

“We started off with the peach and the mixed berry since my mother and aunt Vicki have been making those for years,” Jordan said. “The flavors that followed are something we sat down and discussed first, just tossing around ideas. From there, we practice preparing it. We’ll experiment with a few different ways to prepare it and judge which is best. Inspiration can also come from suggestions via friends, family and customers.”

Despite the name, cobblers are not the only sweet selection that can be purchased.

“We sell sweet potato pies, and we also make a variation of dump cake flavors, the most popular being pineapple-cherry with cream cheese frosting,” Jordan said. “We also make a layered banana pudding that is actually a best seller.”

He said the cobblers are traditional cobblers but what makes them special are the homemade flavors.

“It is not overly sweet. It is perfectly buttered, and the crust is light and flaky. It is hard to find a cobbler with the perfect mixture of all three,” Jordan said. “We also keep our peaches a bit firmer than usual, so they are not mushy or too soft. Not to mention that our larger sizes include a bottom crust which is not too traditional but makes for the