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While every meme touts what a terrible year 2020 has been, there have been a few bright spots, and Ampersand Cookies is one of them. Melissa and Andrew Jones launched their company just a few months ago, and their massive, chewy-yet-still-gooey treats are already earning them a cult following on Instagram and throughout Tampa Bay. Until we can get back to Florida to try them firsthand, we wanted to share their story with you—both as inspiration to go after whatever project you keep dreaming about and as an excuse to order a few sweets for yourself.
What inspired you to launch Ampersand Cookies?
Melissa Jones (MJ): “Through the pandemic we’ve been baking a lot more, and one day while making cookies, Andrew said, ‘we’re going to sell these!’ I laughed, and he kept pushing it. After about a week of doing this routine, I realized he was serious, and I said, ‘alright, I’m all in!’ and the rest is history.”
When did you realize you had cracked THE cookie recipe for your company?
MJ: “When we shared the cookies in the neighborhood because we couldn’t continue eating all of our experiments. I’d ring the doorbell and hear ‘omg, it’s Melissa and she has COOKIES,” and would be met at the door with several kids and adults out of breath begging to get to the bag of cookies first.”
Which cookie took the longest time to perfect?
MJ: “Snickerdoodle crunch—the dough’s texture is different than our other cookies and getting it to bake consistently with the others took time and effort. Figuring out the best way to add the ‘crunch’ without it being too crispy was also a challenge.”
What sets Ampersand apart from other cookies out there?
MJ: “While we go for the large cookie, we aren’t aiming for outrageous, Insta-worthy cookies.
We want to make the classics, remind you of home, but at a larger scale.”
What was the biggest challenge to launching the business?
MJ: “Family dynamics. We are married, and also partners. We have that down pat. It’s the tiny humans that like to keep us on our toes. We’ve got a 2-year-old and an 11-month-old, and things can get pretty crazy really fast. We’ve got lots of help here in Tampa, and we are very thankful for that.”
I know it’s hard to choose a favorite child, but…which flavor is your fave?
MJ: “Coffee chip, hands down. It’s made with actual coffee and is delicious.”
What’s the best way to order cookies from Ampersand right now?
MJ: “Go to our website AmpersandCookies.com. We are only doing local delivery to Hillsborough county at the moment, but follow us on Instagram @ampersandcookies to see when we start shipping. Trust me, it’ll be worth the wait!”
Oh, trust us, Melissa—we’ll be waiting for that day to come!