Toss out those mail order catalogs from faraway states selling gifts for the upcoming holidays. Beautiful boxes filled with delicious, all-natural gourmet cookies are available right here, at the shop of Springfield resident Diane Marinelli. Her new storefront business is called Cookies By Diane, located at 204 Ballymore Rd.,Springfield, PA. From this location, cookie gifts can be delivered within a six-mile radius, or shipped anywhere in the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii.
As a child, Mrs. Marinelli wanted to become a chef. However, she was discouraged by the lack of opportunities for women, in this field years ago, and opted for a career in nursing instead. She received her bachelor of science in Nursing, and worked at Temple University Hospital for several years.
However, she never gave up her love of cooking and baking, and she made cookies as a hobby for friends and family. Last year, she decided it was time to start a business, and she rented various spaces for her baking and distribution. Recently, she opened for public walk-in business, in the Clifton Heights storefront. "I am very receptive to input from my customers," she says. "I had people who were interested in coming in to purchase cookies, so I decided to give it a go." She says her family encouraged her to start the venture, and thanks husband, John, and daughters Marisa, 16 and Elyse, 13. "My husband provided my first financial funding for the business," she said. "He and my daughters have been very supportive."
She also welcomes input on the varieties of cookies that she bakes. Her current offering include the following tempting varieties: Peanut Butter Mousse; Lemon Poppy Seed; Monaco, which is raspberry and cream; Chocolate Caramel Fudge; Chocolate Raspberry Cordial; Chocolate Almond Spritz; Triple Chocolate Mint; Ivory and Almond, which is a white chocolate almond; Julianne, which is creamy coconut, raisins, walnuts in dark chocolate; and Bianca, white chocolate with apricots and hazelnuts. Samples are always available for tasting at the store. Packaging and presentation are also important to her, and she visits New York frequently to attend fancy food shows. Unique boxes she has available include the "watercolor" boxes, with photographs of flowers in pastel colors; and her red, white or black classic gift boxes, which can be finished off with various three-dimensional designs appropriate to the recipient.
Mrs. Marinelli can personalize a gift for many professions and hobbies, as well as adding a design for a specific occasion being celebrated, including birthdays, anniversaries, retirements, graduations and others. Shower favors include four cookies per box, and wedding favor boxes can also be done. Baby gift boxes are available, including those with pink and blue country ribbons, a Winnie-the-Pooh theme, or a baby blanket motif. The boxes are all of a quality that they can be reused, and the blanket box is specifically made to store a christening blanket. For the death of a relative or friend, sympathy boxes can be made that are appreciated by the family who is receiving many guests paying their respects. With all of the boxes, Mrs. Marinelli suggests that patrons phone ahead to make sure boxes are ready for pick-up. Prices range from about $6.50 for a small box to $75.00 for a large gift basket.
No matter what box is chosen for a gift, Mrs. Marinelli's main objective is a good product. "If the product, our gourmet cookies, is not satisfactory, nothing else matters," she said. "No matter what else I do to make a nice presentation, I never forget that, I only use the best ingredients, and never cut corners. The result is one-of-a-kind cookies that are very special. Betty Thornton of Springfield is one of Mrs. Marinelli's employees, and she does all of the finishing work on the cookies, which involves using a pastry bag to do the piping of the inside creams and the hand-dipping of the chocolate-covered varieties. The results are beautiful and tasty. Mrs. Marinelli does all of the baking.
For shipping, Mrs. Marinelli recommends that distance be considered when making the choice on method, with destinations taking longer than three or four days by ground be switched to air for optimum freshness. Cookies picked up at the store can be refrigerated if not being used right away, because of the creams and chocolates used. However, Mrs. Marinelli suggests bringing them to room temperature before serving.
The store is open to the public Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Orders can be taken by phone, at 610-544-9250; or by fax at 610-544-9251. |
