Meet Zoey and Deborah Wexler of Two Fat Cookies in Delray Beach

Today we’d like to introduce you to Zoey and Deborah Wexler.

Zoey and Deborah, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My mom, Debbie, had owned a predominantly wholesale bakery in Boca Raton for many years before selling to pursue other interests. About 4 years later, she decided she was ready to get back into the kitchen and decided to open Two Fat Cookies. At first, the bakery was mostly wholesale, similar to the previous bakery, as she was able to regain most of her clientele in a very short period of time. The retail portion of the business was on the smaller side, but she had a loyal following of customers that had tasted her cookies from the original bakery, and were so happy to see that she was back in business. At the same time, I was living in Saratoga Springs, NY, working as a pastry chef at a gourmet market downtown. As Two Fat Cookies continued to grow, we decided that it would be best if I moved home and helped run the business. I had started cake decorating in New York, and worked very closely with the bakery manager at the store and learned a lot! My project was to pursue expanding the retail side of the business, especially with decorated cakes. About a year after I came home, we moved locations and expanded to Delray Beach, where we now have a beautiful storefront and bakery case. We have been in Pineapple Grove for 4 years, and we absolutely love it here! It’s located in the arts district which is perfect for us, because we like to think of what we do as food art.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The hardest part of being in the food industry is the crazy work schedules. We work long hard hours, especially during the holidays which are very demanding. Finding staff who are willing and able to help support your business can be very difficult. There’s a very specific work ethic that you must have in order to survive in this business.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Two Fat Cookies story. Tell us more about the business.
Two Fat Cookies is not your average bakery by any means. We do offer your traditional cookies like Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin, but we have cookies that you can’t get anywhere else. We love to give our treats fun names that catch the eye while browsing our display case. Names like the Fatso, Chip Monster, Fiesta Cookie, Fat Daddies and Globs. Some of our cookies are recipes from my great grandmother, whereas others are recipes we invented. One of our most popular cookies is the Walnut Chewie, a chocolate meringue cookie with toasted walnuts. It tastes like an under baked brownie and one is never enough!

Everyone says the cupcake trend is dying off, but we disagree. We love creating cupcake flavors that really taste like the item we are trying to emulate. We made a dunk-a-bear cupcake which was our take on a childhood snack called Dunkaroos, and it was pure nostalgia. We made a strawberry poptart cupcake that was so yummy, we sold out of them so fast.

I think something that also really sets us apart and that we are most proud of, is that we are just as interested in making everything as beautiful as it is delicious. We do a huge amount of custom cake orders, and people are always so surprised when trying us for the first time, that not only was the cake gorgeous, but it tasted amazing. We will never put out a product that we are not 100% confident in the flavor.

Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I wouldn’t really say luck has anything to do with it. I think that when it comes down to it, you have to be a hard worker and you have to have tenacity. It’s very hard to make it as a small business. There are always 15 balls to juggle and when you think you’ve gotten through the thick of it, something always seems to pop up and say, “deal with this now!”. I know at the end of the day, that my mom and I have each other to lean on and get through any obstacles that come our way, as long as we persevere.

Pricing:

• Cookies, Brownies & Individual Desserts range in price from $1.50 to $5.25
• Miniature Desserts range from $15/dozen to $27/dozen

Contact Info:

• Address: 245 NE 2nd Ave.
  Delray Beach, FL 33444
• Website: www.twofatcookies.com
• Phone: 561-265-5350
• Email: zoey@twofatcookies.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/twofatcookies
• Facebook: facebook.com/twofatcookies
• Twitter: twitter.com/twofatcookies
• Yelp: yelp.com/biz/two-fat-cookies-delray-beach

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