Meet The Cookie Lady

A single-mother and Air Force Veteran, Emma L. Neal (they/them) started selling home baked goods from their kitchen window over 30 years ago. It was a means of paying for their child’s Catholic School education. Back in the early 90s, Camden, New Jersey was both the poorest and most violent city in America. For Emma, cookies were a chance at a better future for their family. “I wanted my son to know there was a world of art and culture and beauty outside the city, so they’d grow up to work and fight to obtain it for themselves.”

Before long, Emma was selling 300+ cookies a day to the people within their housing complex and “The Cookie Lady” was born. “People still recognized me in the streets and go ‘You’re The Cookie Lady, ain’tcha?!” It’s a title Emma wears with honor, as the name has become synonymous with quality, care, and kindness throughout the area. “People know when they get something from The Cookie Lady, it’s going to be the best version of that thing they’ve ever had.”

Now The Original Cookie Lady is sharing their Cookies with the world! “There’s something magical about a cookie. It’s a memory. It’s childhood. Everyone has something homemade that takes them back to a loved one – a Mom, a Grandma, a Pop Pop, an Auntie. You can never recreate those moments, but these are like a link back to them.”

Every Original Cookie Lady Cookie is handmade with the same attention to care and quality that’s made Emma a local legend. “Buying my cookies is the closest thing to making them yourself as you’re going to get. I want you to taste the love. No matter how big we get, I want it to always feel like you’re standing in my kitchen and you’ve just been handed a cookie two minutes after it’s come out the oven.”