Featured: Chad Williams from The Handcrafted Cookie Company

By Michelle Judd from Taste As You Go

In between running a business and taking care of a new baby, Chad Williams , who runs The Handcrafted Cookie Company with his wife Theresa, had the time to answer a few questions about their business, their adoption of an eco-friendly lifestyle, and their idea of the perfect cookie. I will never complain about being busy again!

 

According to your website, The Handcrafted Cookie Company was forged from the love of food of "a gourmet chef and a medical professional turned foodie." Is medicine still in the picture, or is it all dessert all the time?

A Physician Assistant by training, my wife Theresa is still working as a Clinical Scientist at Pfizer. With the addition of our daughter in late June, she'll be working part-time come October. Understandably, Theresa hasn't been too involved with the business lately, but her input is absolutely crucial to our strategic planning, as well as product development. She is the "brains" behind our operation. I guess that makes me the "brawn"!

What inspired you to open your own business? Was it something you always wanted to do?

The two of us have always wanted our own business, and we have a few more planned for the future. This company provides us a way to indulge the sweet tooth we share and was, also, a relatively low-risk venture. When we started about 19 months ago, we were both working full-time at our day jobs, and we've learned a lot along the way. Now that we have an idea of what's involved in opening and running a small business, I think we're better prepared for the next, larger, venture.

What has been your most successful culinary experiment? The most disastrous?

Of all of our dessert offerings, our cookies have been the most popular. We were initially unsure how some of the more adventurous flavors would be received, but our customers have embraced all of them! Thankfully, we haven't had any real disasters to speak of. Though, a couple of items have come and gone due to poor sales.

Why does an eco-friendly lifestyle appeal to you so much? How does that type of lifestyle play into the practices and culture of The Handcrafted Cookie Company?

Maybe Theresa and I just think too much, but it's hard for us to throw something away that we know could be reused or recycled. Knowing that a lump of plastic will sit in a landfill for centuries is unnerving. Part and parcel with that, in our view, is adopting a lifestyle where one purchases with that knowledge in mind, like avoiding items with excessive packaging and the purchase of "throwaway" items.

Our business incorporates many of the same philosophies. We purchase locally whenever possible and almost all of the packaging and disposables we use is post-consumer/recyclable/compostable. All of our plastic cups, lids, and straws are made from corn and contain no petroleum. We separate our waste (our customers have been great in helping us do that through the use of a three-compartment trash receptacle); recycle all of our glass, plastic, and paper; and compost our food waste and paper packaging. Once you've gotten yourself into this sort of routine, you realize that it's not that much work and that it will likely have a very positive impact, especially when considered in aggregate with those living and conducting business by the same ideals.

Do you have a baking tip to share with us?

Our favorite tip is to use a silicone mat for baking. They're safe to almost 500 degrees, are nearly infinitely reusable, and you couldn't make something stick to them if you tried! They make baking cookies so much easier, and there's no pan spray or wax/parchment paper to use and throw away.

What do you do in your spare time? What are your hobbies or passions outside of food and cooking/baking?

Fitness was always a passion for us both. Before our daughter was born, that is! We were avid cyclists and runners and got to the gym several times a week. We're trying to get back to a certain level of physical activity now. We still enjoy nature (walking and hiking), cooking, eating out, and reading. No time for too much else!

What is your idea of the perfect cookie?

A perfect cookie is slightly crisp at the edges, slightly under-done in the middle, and chewy all the way through.

Of the cookies that you offer to your customers, which flavor is your favorite?

My favorite, by far, is our Chocolate Rubies - a dark chocolate cookie with dark chocolate chips and fresh grapefruit zest. Theresa would vote for our Lavender Vanilla sugar cookie.

The Handcrafted Cookie Company

24 South Main Street
Phoenixville, PA 19460
(484) 921-4934

Website: http://www.thehandcraftedcookiecompany.com/

Hours:
10 AM to 8 PM, Wednesday-Thursday;
10 AM to 10 PM, Friday-Saturday;
10 AM to 4 PM, Sunday