In March 1984, Dayton Daily News Feature Writer Katherine “Kitty” Ullmer went on an investigation to see where these cookies came from and if she could convinced executives to share the recipe.
“The investigation began with a phone call and follow-up trip to the Courthouse Plaza Elder-Beerman department store, one of six Elder-Beerman stores in the Dayton and Cincinnati areas with an Amy’s Cookies outlet. It was to be a tasty assignment,” Ullmer wrote.
“You need only walk through the store’s plaza entrance to catch the aroma of freshly baked cookies in the air. The cookie counters are right inside the door. Down the steps and to the left, opposite men’s trouser. Just follow your nose,” Ullmer said.
On that day, Virginia Steinke, department manager of Amy’s, had arrived by 8 a.m. to take the dough out of the store’s third-floor freezer. By 9:30, when the store opened, the first cookies were out of the oven, cooled and ready to be sold.
“By 9:31 she has already sold her first cookie,” Ullmer wrote.
Where the cookies came from
Amy’s Cookies began in 1982 with a trip to New York.
“We had been investigating cookies for the last several years,” said Elder-Beerman Food Director Charles Johnson. “We were testing a lot of cookies. None of them met our standards.”
“We didn’t want just another cookie,” interjected Paul Lazorski, the store’s senior vice president of operations. “We were looking for the cookie.”
While the store’s General Merchandising Manager Roger Chaet was at a gourmet show in New York, he bit into the right combination.
Party Cookies Inc., of Peoria, Ill., had brought samples of their products to the show.
Elder-Beerman had been scouting for a cookie with at least 15 to 20 percent butterfat and 20 to 25 percent chocolate, ingredients that fit into the ”gourmet cookie rang,” Johnson said.
Chaet sampled Swiss Melts, Swiss Melts with Pecans, Oatmeal Raisins, Peanut Peanut Butters and Chocolate Mints. All cookies had a 20/30 ratios of butterfat to chocolate/raisins/nuts.
Swiss Melts became the most popular
The secret of the Swiss Melt —“the most popular of our cookies, is that it is made from pure imported Swiss chocolate,” Johnson said.
Elder-Beerman first tested the cookie in its Hamilton store.
The cookies proved more popular than expected and the company had six outlets in 1984, with plans for more.
“We bake off probably 8,000 pounds of cookies a month” in the six stores, Johnson said.
At the downtown store, Steinke and her three helpers would make up to 60 dozen 1.8-ounce Swiss Melts a day.
The story behind the name
The name, Amy’s Cookies, came from Max Gutmann, the chairman of the board.
“We wanted a personal touch that fit in with the idea of the cookies,” Johnson said.
“But we just didn’t come up with the name,” Lazorski explained. “Barbara Weprin, the daughter of the late Arthur Beerman, has a daughter by the name of Amy, so we named the cookies after Amy.”
The recipe is a secret
When Ullmer asked for the recipe, Johnson said, “It’s a secret.”
He added, “There’s no point in trying to ship them somewhere. There’s no preservatives in them and they’d lose their freshness.”
Elder-Beerman has an exclusive territory agreement with Party Cookies, Inc. for distribution of the cookie, he said, which keeps others from infringing with competition.
“We think we have the Cadillac of chocolate chip cookies,” Lazorski said. “We’re really happy with the success of it.”
The Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest
Speaking of cookies, The Dayton Daily News Holiday Cookie Contest is back.
This year we’re asking bakers to bring one dozen of their favorite cookies to our downtown Dayton office.
Cookie drop-off is:
- 5-7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 17
- 8-11 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18
The person dropping off the cookies (whether that’s the baker or a representative) will need to provide photo identification, and fill out a submission form with the baker’s first and last name, mailing address, phone number and email address.
Along with the cookies, you must bring a copy of the recipe with exact ingredients and measurements and thorough step-by-step directions on preparation and baking.
Planning to drop-off cookies? Fill out this form to let us know and sign up for a reminder the week before drop-off.
Natalie Jones writes about food and dining in Southwest Ohio with an emphasis on the Dayton region. She may be reached at natalie.jones@coxinc.com.
FOOD & DINING EMAIL NEWSLETTER
Sign up for our free food and dining email newsletter by Reporter Natalie Jones, which hits inboxes on Wednesdays. Visit the website and click “my account.”
DaytonDailyNews.com
About the Author
