From Warm Apology Cookies to a $500M Empire: The Sweet Journey of Tiffany & Leon Chen
How a Missed Date, a Warm Batch of Cookies, and Relentless Grit Turned Two UT Austin Students into the Founders of America’s Favorite Cookie Delivery Empire.
The Warmest Beginning: A College Love Story
Once upon a college campus at the University of Texas at Austin, a simple act of contrition sparked something extraordinary. It was 1999, and sophomore Tiffany Taylor stood up Leon Chen for a date. To apologize, she baked him cookies and delivered them fresh from the oven. That warm apology so moved Leon, he declared, “We should turn this into a business.” And just like that, Tiff’s Treats was born with $20, a cell phone, and a dream baked into every batch.
From College Hustle to Flourishing Enterprise
They started baking in Leon’s apartment, delivering warm cookies to dorms across campus. Within a year, they moved into a shared kitchen on the Drag, and by 2003, had opened their own standalone storefront in a converted 1940s bungalow on MLK & Nueces, still their flagship location today.
Facing Challenges with Grit and Grace
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