The Whiskey Lifestyle sat down with Robyn Frank, the founder of Thumbs Cookies, and find out about how she got her start, moving from NYC, and cookies.
The Whiskey Lifestyle: How did you go from working in the service industry and as an actress to running your own company?
Robyn Frank: I started doing the cookies on the side while I was waitressing at a few spots in Brooklyn and Manhattan. I was literally baking in a basement kitchen in the East Village starting at 10:30 p.m. I would be baking while the restaurant’s kitchen was closed but the bar was still open. The bar patrons would smell the cookies and want to eat them while they were drunk from midnight to 4 a.m. It was pretty funny. I even baked a few times in the basement of the place I was cocktailing. I would go down to that basement kitchen at 3 a.m. after my shift ended and bake. It was actually pretty fun. Then I started to get a few key accounts around New York and online, too. My business was growing and I needed more space and time. That’s when I moved the operation to Minnesota.
TWLS: What’s different about your cookies?
RF: They are TINY! They are bite-sized—I mean smaller than a quarter. They are also truly my mom Barb’s genius. She used to make these when I was growing up. We would hand roll each one together and they would each be the same exact size and shape. Now we crank them out but still shape each one by hand with our table top machine, “Kranky.” We call her Kranky for a few reasons, obviously. (She’s a bit of a bitch, but when she’s in the right mood, she cranks out 5,000 cookies per batch!)
TWLS: What’s your favorite whiskey?
RF: It’s tequila, duh! But actually, I love hot toddies. I love them so much that I made a Hot Toddy Thumb cookie flavor! They are lemon clove cookies with whiskey butter cream in the middle!
TWLS: What finally inspired you to move away from New York?
RF: I couldn’t lug 50 lbs of flour on the subway anymore. I knew I needed to get back to a place where I could set up a serious cookie camp. Minneapolis is where my roots are, so it just made sense.
TWLS: What advice would you give to young people starting their own businesses?
RF: There are so many things I could say, but I’ll keep it snappy. First, don’t quit your day job right away! Building a business takes TIME and patience. (Not to mention money!) Secondly, determination and vision are everything. If you are determined enough and stubborn enough to keep on going when absolutely every challenge presents itself to you—then rock it out and don’t let anything stop you.
TWLS: What does “the whiskey lifestyle” mean to you?
RF: For me, it’s work hard play hard. If I’ve had an insane day of cookies and dough slinging, I wanna have some fun after. Plus, being my own boss means that I can grab a hot toddy whenever I want. I always make time to hang with the people I care about and kick back and have a drink. I mean, if you can’t do that, what’s the damn point?
