For Jennifer “Jenny” McCabe, Cookie Chow started with a chocolate chip cookie, a little experimentation and a lot of time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic.
McCabe, who has always enjoyed baking, began taking the chocolate chips out of a family cookie recipe and experimenting with different fillings, flavors and ingredients.
She quickly realized the recipe could become something more.
“I was like, ‘Oh, you could really do anything with this recipe,’ ” McCabe said.
What began as a slow-growing, home-based operation in 2021 has since developed into a mobile cookie business with a food truck, retail placements, event work and a growing following across Rhode Island.
McCabe launched Cookie Chow by appearing at breweries and other pop-up events, where she could introduce customers to the business without taking on the expense of a permanent storefront.
The mobile approach was intentional.
McCabe wanted to build a business while maintaining the flexibility to raise her young children. Rather than committing immediately to a storefront, she could set her own schedule and bring Cookie Chow directly to customers.
That model expanded last year with the addition of a food trailer McCabe calls the “Cookie Truck.”
The trailer has become a major part of the business, allowing Cookie Chow to travel to larger events throughout the state. Recent stops have included Slater Memorial Park in Pawtucket and Gooseneck Vineyards in North Kingstown, while McCabe also works smaller events with a tent setup.
The business has expanded beyond events, too. Cookie Chow has retail placements at the We Be Jammin’ RI gift shop at the Warwick Mall and Little Lattes Play Cafe in Coventry.
McCabe said the past year has brought particularly strong growth.
In May, the business received a notable boost when McCabe was named Rhode Island’s Home-Based Small Business of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
For McCabe, the recognition was more than an award.
“You don’t know, sometimes you question if you should keep going or maybe reevaluate,” she said. “So that was really a confirmation that people are noticing.”
Meanwhile, her path to Rhode Island was a winding one.
Originally from Iowa, where she grew up around family members who baked, McCabe moved to New York City at age 20 and met her husband there. The couple later moved to Los Angeles before eventually relocating to Rhode Island, where her husband is from.
The family now lives in Burrillville, while McCabe continues to bake out of Millrace Kitchen in Woonsocket and travel throughout the state for Cookie Chow events.
As the business grows, McCabe is beginning to consider what comes next.
A brick-and-mortar location in Burrillville or the surrounding area is one possibility, she said, while expanding the food truck’s schedule and getting Cookie Chow into additional retail stores are also priorities.
She said she’s also looking to grow through weddings, corporate events and staff-appreciation programs.
For now, McCabe is continuing to build on the model that allowed Cookie Chow to grow without sacrificing the flexibility that helped inspire it.
“I just want to see how far the cookie can go,” McCabe said.
OWNER: Jennifer “Jenny” McCabe
TYPE OF BUSINESS: Bakery
LOCATION: Burrillville
YEAR FOUNDED: 2021
EMPLOYEES: One
ANNUAL REVENUE: WND