The Baking Blocks

As you approach the entrance, you will hear the unavoidable slam of two bright red screen doors. That sound will be unmistakable and will most likely have a side effect of wonderful childhood flashbacks. The doors were intentionally left to squeak and slam for the sole purpose of bringing back summer cottage nostalgia. And once that sound echoes through your ears, just know that you can make yourself at home. Creating a “homey” environment has been an important goal for Cookies On Call. Once the doors come to rest it is then safe to set your sights on a delicious spread of mouth watering treats.

What are you looking for? Is it the hypnotizing smell of a delicious cup of joe? Or is it the rich taste of a fresh bagel smothered in cream cheese that gets you moving? Not only did Cookies On Call bring over Uncommon Grounds coffee into the mix, but now they carry such prized goods as Zingerman’s bagels. These outstanding baked bread circles are an east-side favorite for Michiganders (and gaining west-side approval). Each weekend Zingerman’s bagels make an exclusive haul from Ann Arbor before being served right here in downtown Douglas.

So how many cookies can you eat?

A deep hunger began to fill my mind after I heard so many great things about Cookies On Call… Or was it something about the 2,000 pound cookie order that grabbed my attention?!… That is a literal TON of cookies! Macatawa Bank had placed a special order at Cookies On Call that took a full week just to roll enough dough. If someone desired that many cookies to be made, I knew that they had to be good! That being said, I was eager to try out the finest hand-crafted cookie dough in town. So I headed downtown to see what all the hype was about…  

When you bite down on one of these cookies you may notice that they don’t exactly resemble a sleeve of Oreos from the supermarket. These flat-bottom babies are tasty treats laden with pure Michigan love! All the ingredients are made right here in the mitten (For all you non-natives, the state of Michigan looks like a big mitten). The only items that are brought in from outside of the Michigan border happens to be the special boxes that house the cookies. They tried to find a Michigan box maker that fit their request, but it really didn’t pan out. You can’t win em’ all right?

How about those cookies eh?

I know that just about anyone can attempt to bake a cake or batch of cookies; however, some people have proven their handy skills with mountains of flour much better than others. If you wanted a dozen of the best peanut butter cookies east of the Mississippi… you probably wouldn’t want to pick up the phone and give me a ring. If you did, you might want to consider calling the fire department shortly after… These types of things are better left up to the professionals.

These hands are made for bakin’… And that’s just what they’ll do.

The flour fingers behind this baking operation are those of Francesca Martin. Franny established “Cookies on Call!” about nine years ago and has no intention of slowing down. She maintains the strong passion for creating a quality product. She believes in making her products personal with each and every customer; especially when it comes to commitment cakes. I have seen some truly remarkable masterpieces in cake form after browsing through her cake-folio. It is her guarantee that no two cakes are ever the same! .Odds are there is also an unspoken guarantee that each cake will probably become quite a conversation piece. Franny has the ability to fit the right person with the right cake (kind of like Cinderella and the glass slipper).   

Now let’s get curious for a moment…

How do you become a seasoned veteran of the baking world after spending 30 years with corporate marketing? Well maybe it has something to do with deep running Italian roots? Or maybe it is the fact that Franny used cooking as a way to rehearse speeches for work? Well, probably both are valid reasons. It is about love and passion. The process all starts with two hands and a lot of passion. “It is like being in love for the first time” she says.  Cookies On Call has certainly given Franny a sense of gratification. Seeing the smiles and building relationships with her customers has been much more rewarding than she could have ever imagined. How could you not love making sweet treats for friendly faces each day? I know you can’t please everyone in this world, but you can certainly make a dent.

It doesn’t stop there…

Something that I find remarkable is a business that knows how to make a difference in solving a questionable economy on a local scale. The shop on 25 Center Street has something that can’t be seen hanging in the window or sitting inside a display case, it is something of a much bigger picture. Franny is very adamant about taking initiative in order to help keep Douglas in motion. I am a firm believer of a “community” concept and wished that merchants were more aware of one another. She has been a tremendous cross-promoter for other local businesses. Word of mouth is a great form of advertising and arguably the most trusted advice amongst the masses. This technique is used at the shop to promote the town as a resource instead of leading people to neighboring places like Holland (Don’t worry, I still love Holland).

The next time you drop in to check out downtown Douglas, come on in. Stay a while. Try the homemade soup. Eat a few cookies. Grab a fresh bagel. Take some bread to go. Get your coffee fix. Repeat.

(Now you might be asking yourself, how can I get my hands on those cookies if I live in Canada?! Fear not! These fabulous sweets can be shipped to anywhere in the world except Iran and Cuba. If you live within 20 miles you get a special personal delivery! )