If you haven't heard of Rebel Daughter Cookies, now is the time to hop on the rebel daughter bandwagon! Anne Grossman is the powerhouse behind the business with a kitchen located in Norwalk, making the most delicious gooey cookies that you will melt over at the first bite.
DL: What inspired you to start your business?
AG: In September of 2019, my daughter was 6 months old and my son was 3; despite always wanting to be a stay-at-home mom, and now with 2 beautiful kids, I still felt like something was missing. I'd always been creative and realized I missed having a creative outlet, something all to myself. I told my husband I was going to start baking again and I was making it my goal to recreate the big, gooey chocolate chunk cookies I would get every weekend together when we lived in Brooklyn but couldn't find in the suburbs. After force-feeding my husband half-batches of cookies every other day, about a month later he told me I'd finally gotten "the" recipe.
DL: What has been your biggest challenge?
AG: My biggest challenge has always been balancing motherhood to 2 young children (now 3.5 and 6 yrs old) while running a quickly-growing business that is essentially a third child. I've learned that work/life balance is a facade; something will always have to give, and that's okay... I know I'm setting a good example for them by creating this company from the ground up and showing my daughter, especially, that girls can be both great mothers and business leaders. My kids love to tell everyone their mom runs Rebel Daughter Cookies!
DL: What inspires you?
AG: I'm inspired by take-charge women who know their worth and everyday rebels: people who push back against the status quo, unafraid to be authentically themselves: nonconformists who passionately pursue their dreams, fight for the greater good, and when they truly believe in something, they don't take no for an answer.
DL: How is your cookie business different than so many others?
AG: To start, we source the best ingredients worldwide, no compromises: I'm talking Guittard and Ghirardelli chocolates; vanilla beans sourced directly from a vanilla farm in Madagascar to make our own extract in-house; loads of premium vanilla bean paste, and small-batch chocolate sea salt, to name a few. Each new cookie recipe I create is tirelessly reworked until it's perfected; we don't simply throw different toppings into the same dough and call it new. Each cookie is made in our kitchen by hand, not dropped on a tray with a cookie scoop or shot out of a mold. And finally, we donate a portion of annual profits to 2 non-profits focused on maternal health and child well-being. This year our 2 partner charities are the global org Every Mother Counts and Norwalk Acts, based in Norwalk, CT.
DL: Talk to us about the charitable component of your business.
AG: It was important to me when I started this business that my company was able to make the world a better place and give back in some small way; otherwise, what's the point? As a mother myself, it was important to me to focus on non-profits helping other moms and their kids who may not be as fortunate as me and my family have been.
DL: Word of advice to aspiring foodie entrepreneurs?
AG: Don't be afraid of failing. In fact, fail as quickly as possible, as early on as possible, and learn from those mistakes. Failure teaches you way more than success ever could. When you're exhausted or discouraged, take time to rest and regroup. But whatever you do, look for ways to win--not give up.
Rebel Daughter cookies take orders online at rebeldaughtercookies.com. They also deliver from Stamford up to Fairfield, offer free pickup at their storefront (21 Isaacs Street, Norwalk) and ship nationwide.