Cookies to Feed the Homeless and Hungry
By Lorrie Baumann
Mystery novelist Charlotte MacLeod knew that all she had to say to describe a character that she wanted her readers to love was that she looked like a woman who made good cookies and would give you some. Angela Pepe, Owner of CurlyTop Baker, is a woman who makes good cookies and, if you just needed a cookie, she’s also a woman who would give you some.
If you can afford to buy your cookies, though, she’d rather sell them to you, especially if you’re buying for a specialty grocery store. “Twenty percent of our proceeds go back to feeding the homeless. That’s our big why,” said Mark Pepe, her husband and CurlyTop Baker‘s Managing Director. “We also delivered trays of cookies to hospitals last week. We’re always looking for ways to make an impact in our community.”
Angela and Mark Pepe found a commercial kitchen and launched their cookie business three years ago as a for-profit way to fund Angela’s charity project of feeding the homeless. “As word spread on how good a product she had, she wanted to expand feeding the homeless,” Mark said. “We’re working with specialty grocers and resorts in Las Vegas to develop our wholesale business.”
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CurlyTop Baker cookies are made with premium ingredients like pure vanilla, real butter, cage-free eggs and are offered in unique flavors that include Bacon Chocolate Chip, Campfire Cookie (a cookie take on a s’more); Potato Chipper and Raspberry Black and White. “We feel that we don’t want to compromise on quality,” Mark said. “Our signature cookie is our Chocolate Chunk Original. We are very generous with our cookies. You can tell what kind of cookie it is just by looking at it.”
In its three years in business, CurlyTop has expanded its market reach beyond the Las Vegas Valley and extended its wholesale flavor line to 12 varieties, with additional seasonal flavors always in development. While she continues to handle the baking end of the business, her husband is now doing CurlyTop Baker’s sales. “We’re talking to grocery stores all over the country. We ship nationwide,” Mark said. “Some will bake them off in their stores, and some will ask for them pre-packaged – it depends on the stores… A majority of them are selling them as CurlyTop Baker, but we are open to private label.” The cookies retail for $22 to $24 a dozen.
When Angela isn’t busy making cookies in her commercial kitchen for sale to CurlyTop’s wholesale customers, you’re still likely to find her out handing out 300 to 400 cookies a week in Las Vegas’ parks and homeless shelters. “Our goal is really love and joy and a smile on everyone’s face,” Mark said. “They know we come every Wednesday, and they know why we’re there.”