Moms' Group Grows Into A Cookbook Business

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December 18, 2007 by Angela Shupe | 0 Comments

The Detroit Free Press:

It started more than 20 years ago as a casual, after work get-together of women, mostly moms whose children attended Our Lady Queen of Apostles Catholic School in Hamtramck.

Those get-togethers, usually no-frills dinners at someone’s home, led to friendships that still sustain. There were and still are local outings together, out-of-town vacations together and the sharing of the ups and downs of life together.

The women added an even sweeter touch to their relationship 10 years ago when they started an annual holiday cookie exchange that arguably rivals all holiday cookie exchanges.

“We are very proud of how we have perfected the cookie exchange,” says Lorraine Owczarek, who now lives in Sterling Heights and is one of the original Cookie Gals, as the group has dubbed itself.

While friendship and camaraderie were expected outcomes of this long-lasting relationship of women who, over the years, have spread out to places like Sterling Heights, Warren and Milford, they did not anticipate going into business together.

With the publication of “Sweet Traditions,” a cookbook they expect won’t be their last, they are business partners indeed.

“We’re a licensed LLC,” they happily boast, referring to becoming a legal business known as a limited liability company.

Becoming cookbook writers has shown new sides to old friends.

“We each bring different skills to the table. Each and every person’s contribution is huge,” Owczarek said.

Besides contributing more than 200 recipes to the 146-page hardcover book, which was released in September by Nebraska-based Morris Press Cookbooks, the friends-turned-colleagues have become public spokespeople for the book, telling as many people as they can about it.

They post and pass out flyers about the book and their Web site.

They have become traveling saleswomen of the book, fanning out to craft shows around metro Detroit and appearing at book signings — with cookies for customers — in cities such as Warren and Grosse Pointe.