Today we’d like to introduce you to Lei’d Cookies!
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
James and Leilani and are obsessed with chocolate chip cookies! James went to school for hospitality and management and has worked for over ten years in the Restaurant Management Position. Leilani is a coach at Orangetheory currently attending grad school for Physical Therapy. She is passionate about fitness & food and believes that creating a healthy relationship with food is just as key as creating a fitness routine. Together they came up with the recipe by challenging each other to a bake-off. The goal was to see who would make the better chocolate chip cookie using solely locally sourced ingredients. The end result was an amazing cookie that truly highlights the quality and uniqueness of ingredients that So Cal has to offer!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
We started baking in our kitchen and used Instagram to market and sell our cookies. As amazing as this was, it was quite tricky baking hundreds of cookies only six at a time, keeping the house spotless, and having space for it all. On top of baking in our home, we hand-delivered all over Los Angeles. You just can’t say no to cookies when they come right to your doorstep. However, that put a limit to how many orders we could take. We were delivering from our kitchen in Sherman Oaks all the way to Simi Valley, Long Beach, Pasadena, Santa Monica, and so much more. The lack of traffic due to covid helped but didn’t allow us to maximize our time or potential. To accommodate for this, we moved to a commercial kitchen and stopped delivering all around Los Angeles. Another challenge has been using locally sourced ingredients from other small businesses. Although it’s great to work with small businesses, it means there’s a cap to how much we can produce. They don’t have the supply on hand that a major superstore would have. Therefore, it’s a lot of communication and forethought to stay ahead of production.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Lei’d Cookies: “Cookies so good you’ll feel like you just got Lei’d”
James and Leilani share a passion for not just cookies but also taking an active stance on matters such as the planet, BLM, and body positivity, just to name a few. We believe quality and sustainable farming matter and have put time and effort into choosing farms and locally sourced ingredients that reflect our values. We know people have the power to decide supply and demand. Therefore, when you shop local, organic, sustainable, and ethical, you’re not only creating a greater market for that, you’re also helping the planet. The ingredients are quality, and the cookies are made in small batches. Each batch is a three-day process that requires attention to detail, so it’s safe to say they’re made with a whole lot of care and love. We are not just cookies, we are purposeful and here to make a difference one bite at a time. When you try our cookies, you’ll know they’re ours because they are so good, you’ll feel like you just got Lei’d!
Find us at:
- Calabasas Farmers Market: Saturday 23504 Calabasas Road, Calabasas Ca 91302
- Melrose Place Farmers Market: Sundays 8400 Melrose Place Los Angeles Ca 90069
- Lokel’s Only: Daily 635 N Broadway Los Angeles California
We are also currently available at some amazing small businesses:
- Cafe Ruisseau: Black-Owned Family Business
- I.8sushi: fun and creative affordable sushi with a unique twist on sushi inspired by Filipino flavors.
- Lokel’s Only: A communal kitchen hosting several other chefs and bakers (this is our “storefront”)
- Augustine Wine Bar: Local Wine Bar in Sherman Oaks
- Mignon: specialize in small production, natural wines from all over the globe
What’s next?
Our goal is to get the cookie dough into Erewhon, Wholefoods, and Gelsons. As well as growing our catering.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: leidcookies.com
- Instagram: @leidcookies
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/leid-cookies-van-nuys
Image Credits
mterrisphoto
