Mr. Cory’s Cookies: Meet the Coolest Kid I Know

Mr Cory with Cookies - 2013-09-29 at 17-59-49

I was leaving Flea Marqueta a few weeks ago, after spending an amazing afternoon meeting very nice and talented people and eating world class BBQ. On my way out, I spotted a boy with bright blue glasses, cute hair and sparks of charisma all around him.

He turned out to be Cory Nieves, a 9-year-old cookie making entrepreneur and founder of Mr. Cory’s Cookies, along with his seriously awesome mom Lisa, who is also his business partner. They use all natural ingredients in their scrumptious cookies because Mr. Cory is extremely serious about quality and nutrition. Did I mention that he’s nine?

I’ve rarely met a cookie I didn’t like, and so I gave my husband a bag of Mr. Cory’s No Sugar Added Oatmeal Raisins cookies from Mr. Cory. It’s James’ favorite kind of cookie, and he doesn’t mess around. I am thrilled to report that he thought Mr. Cory’s cookies were scrumptious. “Now THAT’s a good cookie,” is what he said after he snarfed down three of them.

I met up with Cory and Lisa again in Times Square last week. In addition to the rich, mouthwatering cookies, the thing I love about Mr. Cory’s Cookies is the story. Cory is really the business person behind the idea. He got tired of riding the bus to get around, and he started selling hot chocolate and cookies outside his house in New Jersey so he could buy his mom a car. He figured out his recipes from watching the Food Network and looking at the recipes on their website. He realized how much he enjoyed the cookies and the business, and he built up a loyal fan base. You’ll see when you meet him. You can’t help but respond to this young man’s energy, courteousness and incredible smile.

Everyone asks if the business is really his idea, and both he and his mom confirm that it is. “What kid wouldn’t want to make cookies for a living?” he says. At one point, Lisa and I were chatting, and Cory went to get me a cup of tea at Cafe Bene. He came back with my English Breakfast tea and a request from the manager for cookie samples. He can’t help himself.

And then there’s his advanced sense of style. (Note his signature eye glasses in a range of bright colors – they’re a part of his logo.) “There are no rules in fashion,” he told me.

Cory and Lisa eventually moved from their front stoop into a series of commercial kitchens, where they make cookies after school. Cory creates the flavors, which include chocolate chip, double dark chocolate, Madagascar (vanilla), white chocolate chip, sugar cookies and more. He also sells cookie dough and hot cocoa made from his own recipe too.

Cory makes his signature Healthy Melty™ cookie for special occasions and events. It is a gorgeous, chewy and definitely healthy blend of flax seed, bran flower and double dark chocolate. When a 9 year old kid goes googly eyed over a flax and bran cookie, you know it must be ridiculously good. He told me, “You could crush a wall how good it is!”

If Mr. Cory’s Cookies is any indication of Cory’s intrinsic entrepreneurial spirit and his mom’s energy, ingenuity and support, I can’t wait to see what else he does as he gets a little older. He’d love to make cool back to school clothes and school supplies for kids. On one hand, he can see himself owning a private jet one day. On the other hand, he is humble and compassionate. He wants to help kids who are struggling in any way. He and his mom plan to establish a non-profit organization to help children and families in need.

You can meet Mr. Cory and his mom at the PS 321 Stuff You Should Buy Holiday Market in Park Slope, Brooklyn on Saturday, December 7. Keep an eye on his home page for more event updates, including several farmers markets in New Jersey.

Follow Mr. Cory’s Cookies on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. They just participated in America’s Baking and Sweets Show, where they met some of Cory’s favorite food celebrities, including Duff Goldman from Charm City Cakes.

P.S. Cory & Lisa haven’t purchased their car yet. They decided to raise funds for a van instead, a vehicle they can use to make cookie deliveries in New Jersey and New York. They have an ongoing fundraiser on GoFundMe.org. I encourage you to help them out if you can. They greatly appreciate every single dollar!

~Karen Seiger, Markets of New York City