Sometimes, you make plans and life has a way of putting you on a different path.  The origins of Cookies by Joe is a testament to that.

Joana Turcios, owner of Cookies by Joe, didn’t start baking cookies off the bat(ter). She went to culinary school with the hopes of becoming a chef but soon realized she loved baking and making people happy with cookies! Then the pandemic hit and she found the perfect opportunity to try her new venture.

“I was craving a cookie and there aren’t many (cookie) shops in the valley. So, I went back to my baking roots just to kill that craving. At that time, I was reading, You are a Badass At Making Money, so when the cookies I baked turned out great…the light bulb went off,” shares Joana about the origins of Cookies by Joe.

She used the aforementioned book as motivation and decided to sell cookies on Instagram. With San Fernando Valley need more food ventures, her cookies quickly became a hit!

“I did not think I was going to make it into a business until I realized how much I love baking cookies and being my own boss. My fiancé has been so supportive and is part of the marketing aspect of the business,” she adds.

What makes her cookies unique is the seasonal flavors and her baking technique. Her cookies are chewy on the outside while soft on the inside. You’ll always find a variety on her menu with some of the most popular flavors as main stays: Lemon Cookie, Brown Butter Toffee, and the infamous S’mores cookie. A couple of new flavors will be making its way to the menu: Strawberry Short Cake Cookie and Cookies and Cream—stay tuned for those!

With the task of growing her business and constantly finding opportunities to collaborate with people and business in the (818), you can find Joana in various pop-up locations from Café Aficionado to the her latest pop-up at the Café y Cultura at the Burbank Promenade last June 12th.  Catch her at Aroma Café in Studio City from 11am – 6pm this Saturday, June 19th. 

For orders and to check out her latest menu and pop-up schedule, follow her on Instagram @cookiesbyjoe.