Via’s Cookies Café opening on Ithaca Commons

You may be familiar with Via’s Cookies, the individually wrapped specialty cookies with the cute labels sold at Greenstar and Ithaca Bakery. And you may have met Olivia Carpenter — owner, baker and force to be reckoned with — at the Trumansburg Farmer’s Market or the Ithaca Festival. Soon, you’ll be able to enjoy Via’s Cookies, along with some excellent coffee and conversation, at her new cookie café opening on the Ithaca Commons.

Taking over the second floor of Autumn Leaves Used Bookstore, Carpenter’s new café is set to open June 18 in the space previously occupied by Ten Forward. She originally approached bookstore owner Joe Wetmore back in November 2021 and put together a business plan with the assistance of the Downtown Ithaca Alliance.

“I’ll use it as a space for people to pick up catering orders and I want to host little events there,” Carpenter said. “I’ll have cookie tastings and community discussions. I’ll display and sell local artwork. I basically want to use it as a space to highlight Black artists, collaborate with other business owners and discuss social justice issues, all while simultaneously selling delicious cookies!”

It’s an ambitious plan, but nothing that Carpenter can’t handle. She’s used to exceeding expectations and overcoming obstacles (for her pandemic journey, visit tinyurl.com/23bwhtcm).

Growing up in rural Ohio in a family with limited resources, Carpenter first started selling cookies at age 14 as a way to support her big dreams. She joined the high school track team and became a state champion hurdler. At the same time, she earned the title of valedictorian and won the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship.

Carpenter’s achievements enabled her to attend Ithaca College, where she continued along her path to success.

“When I came to Ithaca, I started meeting people who actually wanted to help me,” Carpenter said. “In Ohio, I was facing either racism or constant competition. I operate with this belief that we can all win together. We don’t have to tear each other down to get to the top. We can support each other in this common goal of just surviving.”

Carpenter entered and won a couple of business competitions while in college, helping her to launch her fledgling cookie company. Using the funds to purchase equipment and supplies, Carpenter said that the money also eased her through the process of figuring out what she wanted Via’s Cookies to look like.

“I sell at a few retail locations like Greenstar and the Ithaca Bakery,” she said. “I stock a few places on the Cornell and Ithaca campuses during the school year. But primarily, I do catering and large wholesale orders. Today, I will be baking 500 mini cookies for the Child Development Council for an event they are putting on. I catered the Cornell graduation weekend reception for the Canopy Hotel.”

Of course, no cookie company would be successful if the cookie’s weren’t delicious. All of Carpenter’s flavors (Chocolate Chip, Lemmie Boy, Cookie Crumble Madness and Snickerdoodle) are available in regular, vegan and gluten-free options. In addition to these four standard flavors are some classic favorites like Galactic Fudge and Orangeberry. Carpenter also offers custom orders for those who want to design something extra special.

“Anyone who wants a specialized cookie, and maybe even an exclusive label, I am more than willing to get creative and have some fun with it,” Carpenter said. “I’ll sit down with them; they can tell me what they are envisioning. Recently, someone wanted a John Lewis cookie. We came up with a peach pecan cookie and we called it Double Good Trouble. It was like eating a mini peach pie.”

Baking has always been a passion for Carpenter, something she remembers doing with her grandmother growing up.

“I’m pretty sure I always wanted to be a baker,” she said. “I used to play outside and make mud cookies. My grandma taught me to bake for real. I remember the day she said I was ready to crack the egg. I got no eggshell in the dough, so I’m a natural!”

A big part of Carpenter’s motivation is her desire to help others. From the beginning, Carpenter has donated 5% of her company’s profits to struggling students, young people of color and other marginalized individuals in need.

“I want to form a foundation so that I can give out more money because that is the goal,” Carpenter said. “Much as I love baking, ultimately, I want to be in a position where I can do social justice work, travel, talk about the business and give out cookies. Currently, I’m only able to give 5% of my profits. That is not a ton. Once I grow my business enough so that I can give copious amounts to people in need, I want to do that.”

Graduating from Ithaca College in May with a degree in business administration, Carpenter became the first to do so with the college’s new minor in entrepreneurship. She has no plans to leave Ithaca in the immediate future, as it has been somewhat of a safe haven for her. Besides, she said, “It wouldn’t make sense to promote my business here and then leave.”

Carpenter is currently working on a grant application for the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce, a grant that would enable her to take the next step.

“With that grant, I would hire people — it is time,” Carpenter said. “I am doing way too much as one person. Friends help me out here and there, but I need to have a consistent staff.”

To illustrate the point, Carpenter recalled her hectic first week of June.

“I do some modeling in addition to my business,” she said. “A few days before the Ithaca Festival, I got an email from L’Oréal asking if I could do some work for them. I had a lot of prepping for the festival to do, but L’Oréal is kind of a big deal. I woke up at 4:30 a.m., drove to New York City, modeled for literally 20 minutes, drove home and made 300 cookies.”

As a former hurdling champion, Carpenter refuses to let obstacles stand in her way. Come and get your cookies while you can, because it is clear this woman is going places.

Look for Via’s Cookies at Greenstar or Ithaca Bakery locations and consider ordering cookies for your next business meeting or reception at viascookies.com. Better yet, stop in at Via’s Cookie Café on weekends above Autumn Leaves Bookstore starting June 18.

Food for Thought appears in the third edition of each month in Tompkins Weekly. Send story ideas to editorial@VizellaMedia.com.