![]() “The concept of a zero-preservative, craft-made cookie was uncommon,” says Jesse Szewczyk, author of Cookies: The New Classics.Īmos envisioned his cookies in luxury retail stores over the usual local supermarket. Success came swiftly as The Famous Amos Cookie Company sold $300,000 worth of cookies its first year and was making $12 million in revenue by 1982. “Famous Amos” was the real star of the brand, appearing on packaging and merchandise in his signature straw hat and embroidered cotton shirt. The grand opening was a star-studded gala with over 1,500 people in attendance. The Famous Amos brand got backing from celebrity investors like Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy, who gave Amos $25,000 toward his new business. In 1975, Amos launched the first Famous Amos store on Los Angeles’s Sunset Boulevard. Hollywood tastemakers began to take notice: “I’d go to meetings with record company or movie people and bring along some cookies, and pretty soon everybody was asking for them,” Amos told The New York Times in 1975. “Cookies were a hobby to relieve stress,” says his son Shawn Amos, musician, and author of Cookies & Milk. He began baking cookies using his Aunt Della’s recipe. ![]() When a new job opportunity in Los Angeles backfired, Amos grew disillusioned with show business. Amos headed the rock ’n’ roll department, where he signed Simon and Garfunkel and worked with Motown megastars The Supremes, Diana Ross, Sam Cooke and Dionne Warwick. In 1957, he returned to New York and joined the William Morris Agency, where he worked his way up from the mailroom to become the first black talent agent in the industry. Amos dropped out of high school, but earned his G.E.D. He moved to New York City’s Harlem at age 12 to live with his Aunt Della. Amos challenged the barriers of entertainment as a Black man and went on to create a flourishing cookie empire. ![]() His rise serves as the most infamous cautionary tales for aspiring entrepreneurs. After moving to Hawaii, Amos’ love for cookies continued and started a different cookie company, “Cookie Kahuna.” He is the author of ten books, an inspirational speaker and an advocate for childhood literacy.Īt the age of 78, Amos uses the lessons he learned in life and in the Air Force to continue to excel no matter the circumstances and “be positive, anyway.When Wally Amos first developed Famous Amos cookies in 1975, the brand became one of the most unlikely success stories in food history. He enjoyed more than 20 years of success as “Famous Amos” before selling off the company in 1985. With financial backing from celebrity friends like Marvin Gaye, he opened a freestanding cookie store where he began selling what we now know as Famous Amos gourmet chocolate chip cookies. The beginnings of the business were rocky and Amos found comfort in baking his favorite childhood cookies. In 1967 he moved to Los Angeles and opened his own personal management company. The young entrepreneur didn’t stop there. Amos took over as the head of the newly formed rock ‘n’ roll department where he worked with the likes of Diana Ross, Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye. He left his indelible mark on the company when he signed the now world-renowned singing duo Simon & Garfunkel. Upon his honorable discharge after four years of service he, returned to New York to work in retail and in the mailroom at a New York talent agency.Īmos was successful in both careers and quickly moved through the ranks becoming a manager for Saks Fifth Avenue as well as the first African American talent agent at the William Morris Agency. He decided to drop out of high school to join the Air Force where he eventually earned his GED. ![]() Those cookies impacted his life more than he could ever imagine.Īs a young, uneducated African-American man growing up in the late 40s and early 50s, Amos faced numerous challenges. His aunt showed her love to Amos and his sister by baking them her special chocolate chip cookies. moved to New York to live with his aunt after his parent’s divorce. Airman 2nd Class (Sep.) Wallace "Wally" Amos served in the Air Force from 1955 to 1959.Īmos, born in Tallahassee, Fla.
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