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Marcia Flanigan – Chef and Owner Of TheBestCookie.com
By Admin | November 2, 2007
Marcia Flanigan is a chef and the creative force behind the online cookie bakery TheBestCookie.com, which has received national attention from the Al Roker Food Network program and others. We talked with her recently.
How many tins of cookies do you ship in one year?
Too many to count.
Which season is your busiest in terms of sales?
The entire Fall is big but December is definitely the single biggest month for sales.
Do you eat your own cookies?
Absolutely. I give them up for Lent. Big sacrifice for me.
What is your favorite type of cookie?
It depends on what day it is, but Goes Wild peanut butter chocolate chip are my usuals.
How many people do you employ?
(Because) this is seasonal, at the holidays twenty, the rest of the year 5-10.
What is your weekly schedule like?
It varies from week to week but I usually put in up to sixty hours per week, usually at least fifty.
What has been your biggest “cookie disaster?”
A baker who I hired decided my recipe needed some “tweaking” the same day we were shipping to two food critics. They did not like her changes.
Do you share your cookie recipes?
No, but I will share techniques and have done so on WUSA Channel 9, the Washington, D.C. affiliate for CBS.
How did the Al Roker Food Show find you?
The producer from the show had a girlfriend in the area and she told her if she could find a media worthy product, the (producer) would come and visit her doing the shoot.
She contacted us, we told her our history and sent her cookies. they liked the pitch and loved the cookies, so we were a show.
When they first called, my husband would not let me tell anyone about it. After they came and shot the sequence, he still did not want me to tell anyone.
They gave us an air date and then he said he felt comfortable with me telling.
Do you still do event catering?
Yes, it keeps me in touch with other kinds of foods and also is an outlet for marketing the cookie company. Most people who can afford catering are also purchasing gifts with a greater frequency.
Where did you learn to cook?
From my mom. Food was always a big deal in our family.
Do you have any formal pastry training?
I attended a pastry arts program but due to a near death experience with spinal meningitis I was unable to complete (it). I missed the final month and the three months of being someone else’s slave in their kitchen for minimum wages.
What is the biggest mistake you have made in getting your cookie business going?
Hiring the wrong person to do a job out of their league. Never hire friends.
What one piece of advice would you give to someone who wanted to start a cookie business?
Check out the competition and test your product audience thoroughly.
Where do you want TheBestCookie.com to be in five years?
An internationally recognized name and product.
Disclosure – the families of Ms. Flanigan and the interviewer have had a previous business relationship.
Copyright 2007 DailyInterview.net
Topics: Chefs, Restaurant Owners | No Comments »
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