Gift Biz Unwrapped | Women Entrepreneurs | Bakers, Crafters, Makers | Startup

Dr. Michelle Gowan is a retired educator who is using all her time not teaching school to teach people to bake and decorate cookies. In her first month of retirement, she founded The Cookie School which is a mobile, home party/class where a group of girlfriends gather in a kitchen for six hours and learn to bake and decorate cookies. After they “graduate,” they have homework to complete (3 recipes of cookies) and then they qualify for an advanced class (graduate school). Cookie Nip flavoring was born out of a desire to create a rich signature flavor profile for use in The Cookie School recipes but it has been embraced by bakers of cookies, cakes and treats as well as a delicious flavor additive to coffee and a replacement for vanilla in any sweet or savory recipe. Michelle now has trained 70 Cookie School instructors who help with the demand of teaching classes. Dr. Gowan continues to work at a charter school in teacher support as well as an adjunct professor of Education at Mercer University. Business Bu