#madeinmiami: om nom nom cookies
http://www.miaminicemag.com/images/easyblog_images/508/DSCF7022.JPG
anthea and Andrew of
, the delectable cookies that are quickly popping up in every poppin' place in Miami (from
to
), let miami nice into their nice home.
One would think that people who spend their days baking vegan cookies with orange zest would be nice and they most certainly were; one might not think they would be so thin but they somehow were. Anthea and Andrew let us take a peek into their casa, a new abode in the Little Haiti area filled with quirky animal sculptures and clean modern furniture. We talked cookies and what's nice in Miami:
Hey there Om Nom Nom folk! First off, tell me who you are.
Anthea:
I’m Anthea Ponsetti, Om Nom Nom’s Head Cookie. I’m also a private chef and educator with over eight years of professional experience in my field.
Andrew:
I’m Andrew McLees, Om Nom Nom Cookies’ Marketing Director, copywriter, and official taste tester.
Why Vegan?
Anthea:
I have been a Vegan for a little under two years and a vegetarian for 15. At this point it's a way of life. I choose the foods I eat by how they make me feel. Simply put: a Vegan diet makes me feel my best at the end of a meal. No guilt!
For those who are worried it might taste a little funky – a little less like a “normal” cookie – does it taste weird?
Anthea:
You will have to judge that for yourselves.
I think our cookies are the best things since sliced bread.
Andrew:
My mother is a dedicated vegetarian of over 15 years, and she loves the cookies. I’m pretty sure she is our biggest fan. Truth be told, I’m not a vegan and I also love these cookies. It’s definitely a cookie that has potential to appeal to a very broad audience, especially anyone who appreciates quality and attention to details.
What do you recommend dipping your cookies in if not milk? Personally, we prefer café con leche de almendra...
Anthea:
Funny, we just had a cookie and coffee pairing at Panther Coffee. They paired our different flavored cookies to a variety of their specialty coffees, and the results were magical! I think coffee, tea or (yes!) Leche De Almendra would all do the trick.
Andrew:
Anthea can’t hate on dairy too much with me around. [laughs] I don’t even drink milk, but I can imagine our cookies taste amazing dipped in it.
You guys are a total gold mine for us, not just as a cookie company, but a “family full of artists, musicians and inspired creative minds dedicated to promoting an ethically conscious lifestyle and culture.” Basically, we totally dig this. Can you explain a bit about this family of yours?
Anthea:
I started this company with a few goals in mind. One of the main things I wanted was for the company to serve as a vehicle for me and the other creative minds in the company to promote what we love. We are all artists in our own right. Om Nom Nom is just another outlet for us to creatively express ourselves.
Andrew:
I’m a musician and I used to be an admittedly amateur music journalist, so when the opportunity to express my opinion on matters of music arises, I spring to action. So far, music communities throughout the US have seemed keen on the idea of a delicious vegan cookie whose company promotes their interests. A lot of music industry people are Vegan, so I’d like to think we’re filling some kind of demand. The opportunity to work with artists and sponsor events in the future really gets me excited.
Anthea, you’re the head cookie around Om Nom Nom Cookies, the baker with the sweet tooth. You’re also a Miamian who’s half British and half Cuban (ed. note: I’m Panamanian and British on one side of the family, so I feel yah sistah!). How does Miami and your background influence your recipes?
Anthea:
My upbringing has a profound influence on my recipes. My mother is an amazing baker who was my first teacher. She always allowed me in the kitchen with her. Looking back, I must have been insufferable; I always pestered her to no end with a thousand questions and always asked to lick the spoons after we made any cake or cookie batter. I think I get my fondness for tropical flavors from the Cuban side of my family. I absolutely love mango; it’s one of my favorite things to eat.
Is there one Om Nom Nom Cookie that you just can’t help but sneak?
Anthea:
My favorites are a tie between the Orange Zested Chocolate Chip and the Spicy Mexican Snickerdoodle.
It all depends on my mood. My hand sometimes get caught in the cookie jar, for sure.
Andrew:
We joke around that our Waste Expense Account in Quickbooks exists because we sample our own supply too often.
Do you eat a ton of cookie dough? I would.
Anthea:
Ummmm, yeah!
Andrew:
No. I’d get so fat. [laughs]
We’re always experimenting around here with local farmer’s market fruits and vegetables and local goods. Some of our recipes are hits (
guava and cream cheese cupcakes with a Maria cookie crust
, and
) and some are misses (the quinoa local veg recipe could still use some zing)… What are some of your best hits and misses?
Anthea:
A hit was the Orange-Zested Chocolate Chip. It’s become our signature cookie. I think the combination of semi-sweet vegan chocolate and fresh grated orange zest are really something special.
A miss (albeit a temporary miss) would have to be the gluten-free cookie I've been working on. I’m trying to come up with my own gluten-free flour mixture.
I've been experimenting with several different alternative flours like Chia Seed flour, Sourghum flour, and Fava bean flour, but I still haven't come up with a combination that leaves me with the same amazing feeling as my other cookies. Don’t get me wrong: a gluten-free cookie is happening, but until it’s perfect, the world will have to wait.
I’m doing some research on your boy Edau (aka Edwin Beauchamp, Om Nom Nom’s Art Director). Looks like he might need a whole interview of his own. You guys have a lot of creative heads working on one cookie company. How does that all work?
Anthea:
Edwin’s great. He used to be an illustrator for
and Lemon Yellow, so his work is pretty solid. I’ve been lucky. My crew is amazing. We are all like-minded in the sense that we all appreciate art, music, and food. We all work very hard but play harder and we are happy this way. It just works!
Andrew:
We also have to shout out some of our friends who have made this whole thing happen. Wilson Henri Phillippe and Vanessa Hollander took a lot of our promo and product photos. They have a creative brand together called wiissa, and their photography has exhibited on Urban Outfitters’ blog among others. Super talented kids. They’re like young Ryan McGinleys; their collective ability to capture young people living in the moment is nonpareil.
We’re producing a Kickstarter very soon to raise money for some capital investments needed to take production to the next level, and our commercial photographer friend Derek Matarangas is helping us produce our campaign video.
We can’t wait to work with other artists in the future. I’ve got my eye on a few.
Alright, lets talk a bit about Miami. Favorite place for ______.
Anthea:
1.
Coffee
:
2.
Drinks
:
Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink
3.
Juice
:
4.
Feeling like you’re in another country
:
. I always feel like I'm in some far-off island!
5.
A late night meal
:
6.
A go-to lunch spot
: Lemoni Cafe
(check back later this week for our post on Lemoni!)
7.
Something you can’t get anywhere else
: Kambocha squash at Lucky Oriental Market.
8.
Secret shopping spot
: Craigslist...
9.
Running into people you know
: Anywhere in
.
Andrew:
1.
Coffee
: Panther Coffee
2.
Drinks
: The Corner
3.
Juice
: I make my own juice. Anthea and I sometimes do these crazy cleanses, and we feel amazing afterward. Getting over caffeine withdrawls are the worst, though.
4.
Feeling like you’re in another country
: Calle Ocho. Watching Hugo at the Tower Theater with Spanish subtitles was pretty humorous. (
and because everything looks like this
)
5.
A late night meal
: The Lost and Found Saloon
6.
A go-to lunch spot
: Lemoni Cafe
7.
Something you can’t get anywhere else
: Old school music zines at Sweat Records and quality art mags at
.
8.
Secret shopping spot
: Yesterday & Today Records on Bird Road is always worth the distance.
9.
Running into people you know
: Miami is a pretty small city, so I see people around everywhere I go, all the time. Instead: Where do my girlfriend and I go to get away from the familiar faces? Magnum Lounge. We both agree it’s Miami’s best kept secret and the best gay piano bar in the world.