Who Owns Chunki Monki Cookie Co.? Is There a Storefront?

Tracy Kaye and Carla Jordan are the Co-Founders of Chunki Monki Cookie Co. These two women bonded over their desire to make radically inclusive cookies that everyone could enjoy. Their business specializes in 6 oz. premium artisanal gluten free cookies, that are also dairy and nut free.

This business originally started as a small wholesale business. However, when they first started they were using a shared commercial space. Now they’ve opened a storefront in Clinton Twp where everything – from ingredients to equipment – is dedicated gluten free.

A Mom and a Son Inspires Tracy’s Baking

When I (Tracy) am baking, I feel like it’s the closest I can be to my mom. Her passion for baking became my passion too, but I didn’t realize it at first. In fact, I didn’t want it to be. Now, my dream would be for all three of us sisters (I have two sisters) to be able to bake together.

My second reason for baking is because I knew the struggle of having a child living with dietary restrictions. My son lives with a dairy allergy, and he has difficulty being able to eat in a safe space. Knowing that you’re not gonna end up in the ER is priceless for people who have anaphylactic or severe health concerns.

Label Reading and Understanding Cross- Contact, 35 Years Later

At first I didn’t know much about celiac or cross-contact, but I learned in a hurry with Zack. I had no idea how that was going to shape the next 35 years of my life—learning about cross-contact, how to read an ingredient label, and how to find hidden sources of allergens. Back then, we didn’t know much about it, and we unfortunately were forced to learn by trial and error.

Then when I met Carla, I learned all about gluten intolerance, and we merged our intelligence together creating a gluten free and dairy free cookie that didn’t taste like sawdust or chewing on a mouthful of sand. Once we figured out the science behind the baking, the possibilities became endless.

The Gluten Free Home Where All the Kids Hang Out

Carla been cooking for people for as long as I can remember. Our house was the hang-out house for all the kids and their parents, too. We hosted parties and gatherings and work events. But I was always mindful of dietary needs.

Three of my children were/are intolerant of gluten so I cooked and baked with them in mind. I became a pro at substitution and how to adapt recipes for dietary needs. Over the years, I hosted 13 international students in my home and dealt with many dietary concerns as well as allergies.

I wanted everyone to be comfortable around the table and be able to eat what was served. I became so good at serving the needs of those around the table that my children started to jokingly say that I could “make food out of air”. 

A Vegetarian Diet Leads To Including Even More People

About ten years ago, we stopped eating meat and became vegetarians. It was more adaption, but I was already a pro at reading recipes and changing out ingredients. This was just a continuation of what I had been doing for decades up to that point.

When Tracy approached me with the idea of a bakery I embraced it with joy and excitement. A radically inclusive bakery fits in with my idea of food and a tremendous partnership was formed around this idea.

What Is Your Background in Gluten Free Baking?

I (Carla) have three of my four children with intolerance to gluten. My other son has a wife who has Celiac Disease. Over the course of more than two decades and two continents (we lived in Europe for a time), I have refined my ability to rewrite recipes to create gluten free food that everyone loves.

Tracy’s son lives with a severe (anaphylactic) allergy to milk and any milk byproducts. She has also learned, over the course of three plus decades to adapt for allergens. It has made her a STELLAR gluten free baker. She is also a certified holistic nutritionist and has a plant based certification from Cornell University.

Are your baked goods free from other allergens?

All of our baked goods at Chunki Monki Cookie Co. are made with certified gluten-free, dairy-free and nut-free ingredients. We are not yet soy free, as our flour contains some soy flour. We are working toward creating our own flour blend without soy (eventually).

Most of our cookies are also egg-free. Two of our cookies use Kinnikinnick vanilla wafers and graham crackers. The vanilla wafers contain egg, and the graham crackers state they may contain egg. Now that we have our own bakery space, we hope to develop our own vanilla wafer and graham cracker recipes that are egg-free/ vegan.

What Kind of Baked Goods Do You Offer?

Currently, we are only offering our 6 oz. premium artisanal gluten free cookies and sweet baked goods. However we would like to gradually increase our offerings. In the meantime, these are the gluten free cookie flavors that we will always offer at Chunki Monki Cookie Co.

• OG Chocolate Chip
  • 100% dairy-free, gluten-free, nut free, and vegan.
• Better Made
  • Chocolate chip cookie dough with fold in hand-crushed Better Made Potato Chips
• The Faygo
  • Made with Faygo red pop
• Gordie Howe
  • Red velvet cookie with dairy free white chocolate chips
• Grand Circus 
  • Birthday-cake-in-a-bite full of Funfetti and a lovely frosting center surprise.
• Palmer Park 
  • Banana Pudding flavor made with gluten free vanilla wafers
• 8 Mile
  • M & M Cookie (play on the name Eminem)
• Shed 5
  • Spiced carrot cake cookie. Finished with a dairy-free cream cheese glaze
• Belle Isle Breeze 
  • Lemon Cookes
• Woodward Swirl 
  • Cinnamon swirl
• Pink Cadillac 
  • Sugar cookie base with bright pink frosting

What Other Gluten Free Baking Precautions do you take?

Our dishes, baking ware, utensils and bakery are all brand new and are used exclusively for gluten-free baking. We do not allow any outside food into our space at Chunki Monki Cookie Co. If we have an event, we only serve gluten-free and dairy-free foods such as fresh fruits and veggies, hummus, tortilla chips, salsa and guacamole.

We constantly reexamine ingredient labels knowing how suddenly a product can change their formulation and cease to be allergen free. Tracy is our head baker, and she also takes the precaution of changing into clothes and shoes she ONLY uses inside our bakery.

What Customer Feedback Has Brought You the Most Joy?

When we are at an event or sharing our story and someone asks, “Do you have anything that is gluten-free?” When we answer that “EVERYTHING is gluten free”, the look of pure joy, amazement, and delight on their faces makes every day worth the energy.

We also had a McClaren hospital executive ask us if we had anything vegan because she was severely allergic to dairy and egg. When we shared that EVERYTHING (except our two cookies that use Kinnikinnick wafers) was also vegan (dairy and egg-free), she bought one of everything.

What would you like consumers to know about your business?

We are a women owned business run by moms who know what living life with allergies is like first hand. We live it day to day with our children. It brings us immense joy when people come into our bakery and realize they have choices instead of limitations.

This is why our tagline is “radical inclusivity”. We want everyone to be able to eat and enjoy the food on the table.

Do packaged goods have labeled ingredients and business name?

Only our baked goods sold in retail markets have full labels. The bakery items in our store only carry our logo. However, we most often have on hand ingredient labels available that a customer could request and take with them.

How should customers place a special order?

We have special order slips in our store, and customers can place orders online on the Chunki Monki Cookie Co. website. We also take orders via messages through Instagram or Facebook. Our cookies take three days to make due to letting our dough rest and waiting for proper cooling time for packaging. Therefore, a week’s notice is ideal.

Do you ship? How much advance notice do you need?

We have shipped in the past on request. We would need a minimum of one week’s notice and depending on the distance of the ship to location, it should arrive within that week.

Are your products sold at other businesses or farmers markets?

We are at the Mount Clemens McLaren Hospital one day a month. In addition we are in negotiations with Meijer Woodward Market, a local movie theatre, and possibly Target. However, we aren’t sure as of right now whether any of those three will pan out for us, so stay tuned for all our future developments.

Location and Contact Information

Chunki Monki Cookie Co.

21400 Cass Ave.

Clinton Twp MI 48306
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Email | Phone

Open Tuesday – Saturday. Open each day at 10 am.

Chunki Monki Cookie Co. is one of many gluten free bakers across the state of Michigan.  Click this link to see a comprehensive list of all the gluten-free bakeries in Michigan, complete with interactive map!

Images supplied by Chunki Monki Cookie Co.

The post Chunki Monki Cookie Co. appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.

Who Owns Kalamazoo Cookie Co.?

Do you ever meet someone and immediately feel like they could be your long time friend. When I met Tyler Dilworth at his new gluten free cookie business in Kalamazoo, we talked for at least an hour.

About what makes eating gluten free difficult, and how it gives him so much joy when a customer feels so safe in his bakery. And our shared love of Michigan author Patricia Polacco.

How a Loving Grandfather Created Tyler’s Love of Cookies

“Kalamazoo Cookie Company started somewhere between a childhood memory and a slightly irrational grudge.

When I was a kid, my grandpa and I had a tradition — we’d walk to a tiny cookie shop in Harbor Springs, grab a couple cookies, sit by the water, and just talk. Nothing fancy, just time together. That stuck with me more than I realized.” “I wanted to do something that people could come to and make a memory with it.””

What’s Your Background in Gluten Free Baking?

“During COVID, my mom brought over chocolate chip cookies and my wife wouldn’t stop talking about how good they were. Being the jealous type, that didn’t sit right with me. So I decided to make a better one.

That turned into a year of making cookies almost every day, changing one thing at a time until it finally felt right. That’s the version we sell now.

Everything here is small batch and baked to order. I still make every batch myself, and if I’m not excited to eat it, it doesn’t go out.

At the end of the day, it’s just cookies. But if it feels like someone actually cared when they made them, then I did my job.”

Is Everything at Kalamazoo Cookie Co. Gluten Free?

Yes, Kalamazoo Cookie Co. is a 100% dedicated gluten free facility. At some point, I would like to offer gluten free baking classes.

What Flavors of Cookies are Available?

Kalamazoo Cookie Co. has 5 “mainstay” flavors that are always available. They are:

• Chocolate Chip
• Snickerdoodle
• Molasses
• Peanut Butter and Jelly, and
• Chocolate Peanut Butter

Then there are 1 to 2 “seasonal” flavors that are available. Past flavors include

• Summer Swirl (Raspberry, Grapefruit & Passionfruit)
• Blueberry and Honey Cornbread
• Cookie Monster
• Limoncello
• Sweet Chai
• and many more

Customers can order a 6 count sampler that includes one of each mainstay cookie, and one seasonal cookie.

Do you only use certified gluten free flours? 

I source gluten-free ingredients carefully — using certified products and verifying processing with suppliers when needed. I only use King Arthur Gluten Free Measure for Measure Flour.

1. Do you use oats, oat flour, or oat milk in your baked goods? If so, which brands?
   • I rarely use oat ingredients in my gluten free cookies.
2. Do you use certified gluten free wheat starch in any of your baked goods? 
   • I do not use any gluten free wheat starch in my bakery.

Are your baked goods free from other allergens?  

Gluten is the only allergen that I specifically exclude in my products. My recipes frequently use most other common allergens.

What customer feedback has brought you the most joy? 

Recently, a young couple drove from Battle Creek to try some cookies. One of them has Celiac Disease, and their partner wanted to surprise them with something sweet. I’ve also met kids with Celiac Disease who have been able to eat their first bakery cookie. It reminds me on the long days that this is why I created this business.

What would you like consumers to know about your products and your business?

Cookies are baked to order. I do have Variety 6-packs available daily for walk-ins, but supplies are limited. I cater to weddings, showers, birthdays, retirement parties, etc.

There are no artificial flavors, colors, or preservatives in any of my cookies. These cookies are made with real intention, care, and pride. I feel incredibly privileged to be able to do something that I love for a living, especially when what I get to do is spread some joy.

Where Else Are Your Gluten Free Cookies Available?

If you’re out and about in Kalamazoo, you can find our cookies at ‘Zoo Scoop in Kalamazoo and Chocolatea in Portage. All of my packaged goods contain product name, ingredients in descending order, product weight, allergen warning, and business info. You can also find a complete list of ingredients for each cookie on our website.

How should customers place a special order?  Do You Ship?

Anyone can place an order at kalamazoocookiecompany.com. For large event orders/ bulk pricing, fill out the form on the Contact page. I ship anywhere in the U.S. Shipping is $12 flat rate on all orders, with free shipping on orders over $55. We also offer gift cards.

You can learn more about Tyler and the Kalamazoo Cookie Co. in this article by Mike Wenninger on the Secone Wave website.

Kalamazoo Cookie Co. Location and Hours

Kalamazoo Cookie Co.

4023 Douglas Ave Kalamazoo, MI 49004

MON-FRI 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. / SAT 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Phone: (269)216-3688

Email: cookies@kalamazoocookiecompany.com

Website: kalamazoocookie.co

Facebook / Instagram

Kalamazoo Cookie Co. is one of many gluten free bakers across the state of Michigan.  Click this link to see a comprehensive list of all the gluten-free bakeries in Michigan, complete with interactive map!

The post Kalamazoo Cookie Co. appeared first on MI Gluten Free Gal.