HPN A PIONEER PRESS PUBLICATION | THURSDAY, MAY 1, 2014 | 31

With a staff of just 23workers, Carol Goldmanhas a secret for how they

manage to bake, sell and deliver 3million cookies per year.

Goldman— owner of the wildlysuccessful, Highland Park-basedCarol’s Cookies, which is now cel-ebrating its 35th year in business— says it’s all about passion fortwo things: baking and people.

“Baking truly brings me joy, butthe most fun part of this businessis and has always been doing dem-os and samplings at stores, where Iget to meet people and watch themenjoy my cookies,” said Goldman.

Growing up in Michigan, Gold-man said she spent a lot of timebaking with her mom, who madeall kinds of cakes and pies but,ironically, rarely made cookies.

After college at the University ofMichigan, Goldman spent 10 yearsas a social worker for the City ofChicago’s Department of PublicAid. She left the job to becomea stay-at-home mom, and that’swhen she began baking cookiesand giving them away to friendsat the Highwood exercise studiowhere she belonged.

“The recipe in our cookies todayis the exact same recipe it wasfrom way back then: sugar, flour,butter, eggs, salt, baking soda andvanilla,” said Goldman, who lives inHighland Park with her husband,Peter. “Nothing artificial has beenadded.”

Goldman started Carol’s Cook-ies out of her home in 1979. Herfirst account was Sunset Foods,followed by several other localgourmet and specialty food stores.

In 1983, she took some samplesto Neiman Marcus, and said storebuyers placed an order withouteven asking the price.

Her big break came shortly af-ter, when she got a call from People

magazine regarding a cookiecontest she had won.

“I didn’t even know I wasentered,” Goldman said. “Someonehad anonymously sent in my cook-ies and I won fourth place in thenation. It launched my career.”

In addition to instant fame,Goldman attributes much ofthe growth of Carol’s Cookies toher son, Jeff Goldman, a TulaneUniversity graduate who beganworking with her 16 years ago.

“Shortly after college, he cameto me with a business plan and Isaid, ‘First you have to learn thebusiness,’” recalled Goldman. “Sohe would come here at 3 a.m. withme and make the dough, and helearned, and over the years, hemade this a real, professional andbig business.”

“When I was little, I used tosteal my mom’s cookies from thekitchen and sell them out of mylocker,” said Jeff, who is respon-sible for obtaining large accountsthat include Ghirardelli, WholeFoods and Treasure Island. “Re-gardless of how much the businesshas grown, the product is exactlythe same as it was then.”

Carol’s Cookies now sells 16different varieties, includingchocolate chip, oatmeal raisin withpecans, old-fashioned sugar, toffeecrunch, white chocolate macada-mia nut, peanut butter combo andkitchen sink. The company alsoproduces gluten-free cookies andmini-cookies.

Brooke Edwards is the BakeryDirector for Sunset Foods and hasbeen purchasing Carol’s Cookiesfor the store for 12 years.

“They are one of our biggest,most popular items in the bakery,”she said. “They’re delicious, that’sa given. But besides that, custom-ers often make comments whenthey read the ingredients and seethat everything is natural.”

In honor of the company’s 35thanniversary, along with Mother’s

Day and Carol’s 70th birthday,which she celebrated on April 21,Carol’s Cookies is having a Face-book contest where people canenter someone they think is “thebest mom.” Thirty-five winnerswill be chosen, and all will receiveprizes, with the first place winnerreceiving a year supply of Carol’sCookies.

“The reason for the successis Carol’s heart,” said Edwards.“When her son came to help her,they took it to the next level, butthe quality never changed.”

CAROL’SCOOKIESContact: 847-831-4500;Carolscookies.com

BUSINESS

Goldman startedCarol’s Cookies out of her home in 1979. Her first accountwasSunset Foods, followed by several other localgourmet and specialty food stores. Last year, the company handmade and sold 3million cookies. | JACKIE PILOSSOPH/FORSUN-TIMESMEDIA

||| HIGHLAND PARK

Carol’s Cookies celebrates 35 years in businessBY JACKIE PILOSSOPHFor Sun-TimesMedia | @helpsquadjp

“Baking truly bringsme joy, but themost fun part of this business is and has alwaysbeen doing demos and samplings at stores,” said Carol Goldman, pictured herewithher son, Jeff. | JACKIE PILOSSOPH/FORSUN-TIMESMEDIA