We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Stephanie Knorzer a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Stephanie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?

In my experience, to be successful, one must possess a combination of qualities that includes determination, adaptability, and a willingness to learn and grow. Success is not just about achieving a particular goal, but it’s also about being able to pivot, change and evolve with the circumstances.

One of the best ways to illustrate this is when our store was forced to close due to a gas explosion. Rather than giving up, we forged on and restructured our current situation to return stronger. We had to invest back into our business and turn our retail shop into a functional bakery. This took many months and a lot of funds, but we weren’t afraid of the risk, because we believed in ourselves and recognized that failure and obstacles are bound to happen, but it was what we do during that time that we become successful.

Facing adversaries and challenges create a willingness to adapt and learn from failures and, in my opinion, is the key to success.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Since I was five, I knew I wanted to be a chef. Instead of watching afterschool cartoons, I would watch Julia Child, The Galloping Gourmet, and Yan Can Cook on PBS. I wasn’t allowed to use a stove, so I would “bake” and “cook” all I could in the microwave. I would literally cook a whole frozen chicken in the microwave, peel it apart, and then make lemon chicken burritos every day after school. It was awful, but I had such a desire to create, I would let anything stop me. I attended culinary school and got my degree.

After I graduated, I applied to endless restaurants, but, no one would hire me to be a cook. I always got the same spiel from the managers, “it’s too hot in the kitchen, it’s gross, you won’t like it…blah blah blah” I had to take what I could so I became a server. After years of serving one of the restaurants I worked in held an Iron Chef-type of competition. I entered and won. When the corporate higher-ups saw what I was capable of they finally let me work in the kitchen. I worked my way through the ranks and became a senior kitchen manager. After years of working long hours, my husband and I decided it was time for me to take a “break” and be a full-time stay-at-home mom.

I loved being home, my kids are my world and I cherish my time with them more than anything…but I felt like my creative spark was dimming and I wanted so badly to keep my artistic identity. Simultaneously, my husband was working towards his master’s in accounting and had to start an internship. I knew we were going to take a hit financially, so I wanted to pitch in and try to make a few extra bucks and sell some cookies to friends and family that loved them. I did, and it helped with groceries here and there, but I still didn’t feel like I was doing enough.

I was scrolling through Pinterest one day and saw a picture of a Cream Tart Cake. It was so beautiful and I could imagine what it tasted like, so without a recipe or guidance, I did what I had done as a child, I got busy in the kitchen. I made many different variations of the dessert, different ingredients, flavor combinations, and techniques. With my family as guinea pigs, they gave me their honest reviews until they thought I had finally nailed it. I began baking and selling online as a home baker and things just blossomed from there. Business got so busy so fast that I had to move into a commercial kitchen, and then ultimately open a store-front.

I really focus on flavor-forward high-quality ingredients, and our customers can tell. Almost everything is made from scratch so I can control the flavors and ensure the quality. The most popular of our desserts is our tart cakes. They are light and airy, not overly sweet, and use fresh fruits and pastry cream, then topped with macarons and meringues.

We have been in business (off and on) for almost five years now. Our customers are so sweet and loyal. They have been with us for a long time now, through all of our ups and downs. We are looking forward to our Grand RE-Opening on May 13th, and couldn’t be happier on the way things have (and sometimes have not) worked out for us.

Oh, and that master’s my husband was working on, he graduated and decided to work for our company as our own accountant. Life is so wild, you can plan for everything, but you never know where you will end up.

We’d love to hear about how you met your business partner.

Well, my business partner/co-founder is my husband. And, we met at a business meeting in 2013. We were both managers of a very popular chain restaurant and had to attend a team-building event in California. I was already living in Los Angeles, but he was from Long Island, New York. The first night there, the company took all 52 of us managers to a nice dinner in LA. At some point during dinner, he reached over and shook my hand, I knew at that second, I was going to marry him.

Three months after that meeting, I found myself flying to New York to be with this man. We married in July of 2015 and have two daughters, Riley and Claire. We make a perfect combination for our bakery. I was a kitchen manager for years, and he was a front-of-house manager for years, so it was simply putting our talents to work and running this business together.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

Word of mouth is how we gain the most customers. My tart cakes are something anyone can recreate, but can never duplicate. It is a one-of-a-kind treat and our community recognizes that. Growing a small business on Long Island is incredible. I really feel that Long Islanders know the value and worth of supporting small businesses and helping their neighbor. Word spreads and we really appreciate our customers in helping us grow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecookieshopli.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecookieshopli/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecookieshopli

Image Credits
Photographer Michele Kats