The owner and pastry chef behind Mookie.

My cookie obsession started in France. I attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris way back in 1998 and learned all the cool techniques French pastry has to offer. It was a dream come true. There was much to indulge in, but no American-style cookies. (I survived somehow.)

Since then, I’ve had many culinary adventures and businesses, beginning in the Bay Area at Chez Panisse and eventually landing in Hood River in 2001, where I was lucky to work at Polly’s Cakes and Celilo Restaurant before opening my own gourmet delicatessen (now Boda’s Kitchen).

Many years and many endeavors later, I believe there really isn’t much that’s better than milk & cookies (well, maybe ice cream sandwiches). Both as a delicious treat and as a way to connect to the nostalgia we all feel for the comfort of simpler times and our own sweet memories.

Because cookies are such a simple pastry, a good one will showcase its ingredients. Just as a mediocre one will. The best cookies are made with great ingredients, yes, but also with heart.

It may sound cliché, but in a world where so much has become automated and vapid, a simple buttery-rich cookie with a cup of fresh, cold milk can be an extraordinary pleasure if made well.

At Mookie, the cookies are made and served by people who care deeply about their craft and genuinely hope to delight you. It only takes a moment to taste the difference.