A sweet economic boost...During the Iowa caucuses, Michelle Obama brought daughters Sasha and Malia to the Baby Boomers Cafe in Des Moines, Iowa, to treat the girls with "Boomers Cookies," oversized chocolate chunk cookies that are beloved by locals. Obama staffers were big fans of the cookies too, and now cafe owners Tom Magnani and Rodney Maxfield say they can barely keep up with the orders for the treats, which customers have re-named "Obama Cookies."
"Two months ago I was giving these cookies away," Maxfield told AP. "Now, it's like 'I need two dozen cookies. I need four-dozen cookies."' (Above: Magnani, left, and Maxfield with a jar of their popular cookies).
The surge in sales, now topping more than 1,000 cookies per week, according to Maxfield, came after it somehow leaked out that Obama staffers had ordered cookies to be sent to the Future First Family in Chicago. The recipe is based on a cookie created by Magnani's grandmother; he described the cookies as "old-school, with chunks instead of chips to give it more pop."
But while thrilled co
okie lovers now call the treats "Obama Cookies," the owners have not formally changed the name; they're not trying to profit from the Obama brand, Maxfield stressed. One thing has changed, though: The price is jumping from 50 cents to 75 cents per cookie, to make up for the additional time it's taking to make and bake more each day. The cookies are being regarded in the media as a metaphor for Obama's positive economic influence....
Info: Baby Boomers Cafe is at 313 East Locust Street, Des Moines, Iowa, 50309. Phone: (515) 244-9107.
*Photos by AP.
