The Cookie Kahuna

General information

Wally Amos is “The Cookie Kahuna.” He’s the man who made cookies famous. He’s also one of the most inspirational Americans alive today. Using his aunt’s recipe, Wally Amos opened the first chocolate chip cookie store in the world in 1975 on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood.

Amos became the “face that launched a thousand chips.” He paved the way for others, such as Mrs. Fields .

Demand was so great, Wally opened several more stores. Customers flocked to the stores and he opened even more locations. To raise money to do that, he sold shares in his company, but one day, Wally found he no longer owned a controlling interest.

One day, the new owners terminated Wally, and to make matters worse, he found he became the man without a name. Many would be stopped by that, but not Amos. He turned lemons into lemonade, which was the subtitle of one of his ten books. Losing his company and name put him on a spiritual path. It taught him lessons he never would have learned otherwise, and for that he is grateful.

Now he lectures and write about Recipes for Life. His books extol the virtues of perseverance and laughing in the face of adversity.

“I bounce back. I don’t roll over,” Wally says. “When we change our attitudes, everything else changes too. It’s impossible to stay in a funk. My mom, Ruby, used to say ‘I’m down but not out. You can always come back.’”

FUN FACTS:
Here are some things you might not know about Wally Amos.

• His Panama hat and shirt became the first such items from a major food company to be enshrined in the Smithsonian Museum. They are part of Americana.
• The Cookie Man uses the original Wally Amos recipe, created by his aunt Della. The company he once owned no longer does.
• Wally is passionate about literacy for children and adults and has created the Read it Loud! Foundation to support it. He also sits on the Board of Directors and is a founding member of Read To Me International in Honolulu, HI.
• The company he founded in 1975 is now worth over $60 million.
• Wally Amos has been on many TV shows, including: Oprah, Merv Griffin, The Jeffersons, Steve Allen, The Office, and Taxi.
• Wally has spoken to tens of thousands and touched millions of lives.
• Now, with The Cookie Man, Wally proves you can always bounce back.