Famous Amos founder’s daughter reveals chilling secrets behind cookie empire’s rise and near-fall
A revealing new podcast hosted by Sarah Amos, daughter of Famous Amos founder Wally Amos, pulls back the curtain on the life of the cookie empire leader’s rise and near-crumble.
Wally Amos served in the Air Force, became the first Black talent agent at William Morris and represented musicians like Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Marvin Gaye.
Still, he’s probably best known as the founder of Famous Amos, the irresistible crispy, crunchy and delightfully petite chocolate chip cookies.
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Fans of the beloved cookie company — founded as a Hollywood bake shop in 1975 with a $25,000 loan — can get to know the entrepreneur on a new level with the launch of “Tough Cookie: The Wally ‘Famous’ Amos Story” from Vanity Fair.
Some may consider the tiny chocolate chip cookies snack-time royalty — a trailblazer before Mrs. Fields, Lofthouse and Tate’s Bake Shop became household names.
As the podcast illuminates, however, the personable founder also found himself with one fiasco after the next. For example, in episode five, listeners learn how Amos was living in Hawaii with his new wife (a former flight attendant) and their daughter, Sarah, as his life and cookie empire collapse.
It turns out that in this case, business blunders, personal loss and infidelity can be a recipe for disaster.
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Narrated by Sarah Amos, the podcast gives cookie aficionados insights into Amos’ troubled and triumphant life.
Amos, who died in 2024 at age 88, seemed to live life on an eternal pendulum swing. He landed on the cover of Time magazine, made a cameo appearance in a “Taxi” episode as himself and promoted adult literacy as the host of the television series “Learn to Read.” He also had six marriages, overwhelming business debt and family drama.
Still, 50 years later, a love of the brand endures.
Chuck Hayworth, chief operating officer of private chef company Thankfully Local Chef in Raleigh, North Carolina, credited Amos for his “forthcoming obsession with pastry making,” especially his signature mini-desserts.
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Hayworth recalled his father once saying to him when he was young, “Try these cookies, son. They are small, but this man will be an icon someday!”
To this day, Hayworth said he sees Famous Amos cookies “as an inspiration.”
Trung Vu, chef-instructor of pastry and baking arts at the Institute of Culinary Education’s New York City campus, echoed his love of the cherished cookies.
As a child of the ’80s, he said he remembers Famous Amos cookies quite fondly.
“They were usually found right next to the potato chips in vending machines and convenience stores,” he said.
The cookies were really the only game in town at the time, he added, as Oreo, Chips Ahoy and other snack cookies didn’t come in small serving sizes yet.
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“They had this gourmet vibe, like they were somewhat fancy chocolate chip cookies that you enjoyed on special occasions,” he continued. “This nostalgia is what I think has won over and earned Famous Amos cookies its enduring fan base.”
Taste-wise, Famous Amos cookies are also winners, the chefs said.
“Famous Amos cookies always have a crispy and snappy texture and lots of buttery flavor,” Vu said, adding that some other packaged cookies don’t use butter at all and can be much blander by comparison.
The affection runs deep, and it’s a feeling shared not only by chefs and cookie lovers, but by the company behind the cookies.
“For 50 years, Famous Amos has remained a beloved part of American culture because Wally Amos didn’t just create a cookie. He created a movement rooted in passion, individuality and the courage to be yourself,” Sabrina Muto, senior vice president of Ferrero Biscuits & Bakery North America, Famous Amos’ parent company, told Fox News Digital.
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“Today, we honor his legacy by staying true to his vision while empowering the next generation of Black entrepreneurs through our Ingredients for Success program,” she continued.
She said his story continues to resonate with new fans, “reminding us that authenticity and quality never go out of style.”
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