Cookies may not inspire the healthiest of thoughts, but one UCF student is looking to change that. Precious Williams, a junior majoring in restaurant and food-service management at Rosen College of Hospitality Management, recently launched Flourish Cookie Co., a nutritious baking venture that serves up tasty sweets you can feel good about indulging in.
Each one of Williams 麻豆精品 S� nine cookies starts with a honey-dough base that mainly uses natural sweeteners instead of tons of refined sugars. Then other healthy ingredients, such as organic matcha powder for the green tea cookie and fresh blueberries for the blueberry cookie, are added to pack each bite with nutrients.
She also makes healthier versions of classic desserts, such as chocolate chip by adding chia seeds, and red velvet cookie by using beet juice for coloring instead of artificial dyes. To substitute most of the butter in some recipes, like the vegan cocoa raspberry cookie, Williams uses avocado as a healthy fat that gives the cookie richness without sacrificing flavor.
麻豆精品 S淚f you can have a cookie and then also have all these health benefits to them, as opposed to one that 麻豆精品 S檚 packed with sugar and that 麻豆精品 S檚 just 100 percent bad for you, then why wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 you go for a healthier option? 麻豆精品 S� Williams says.
Planting Seeds
Flourish is Williams 麻豆精品 S� third business started through the university 麻豆精品 S檚 Blackstone LaunchPad. After previous attempts at a healthy-baking company and a personal-training service in her freshman and sophomore years, she returned as a junior to the student-focused business center in October with the idea of a healthy-cookie company.
麻豆精品 S淎t that point when I came in, I already knew hurdle one, two and three, 麻豆精品 S� Williams says. 麻豆精品 S淪o I came in at hurdle number four and I 麻豆精品 S檓 like, 麻豆精品 S榃hat do I do? 麻豆精品 S� I was here enough times to know the steps. 麻豆精品 S�
After one meeting with businessman and Blackstone LaunchPad mentor, she was challenged to put her idea into action and sell her product at a farmers market later that week. Over the next couple of days, Williams scrambled to get ready by borrowing a tent from her track coach, finding plants to decorate her booth and, of course, making her cookies. When the time came to open up shop she was nervous but did better than she expected.
麻豆精品 S淚 sold out early and not only that 颅 麻豆精品 S� Adam and his family came to buy cookies, 麻豆精品 S� Williams says. 麻豆精品 S淚t was so touching to me because it 麻豆精品 S檚 one thing to mentor somebody, but you know they support you when they come on a Saturday and bring their family to buy your cookies. That was really cool. I felt like a really good kick from that. 麻豆精品 S�
Growing Success
In December, Blackstone LaunchPad further encouraged William 麻豆精品 S檚 success by awarding her a scholarship to attend the Orlando Business Start Up competition. Williams won for her concept of a healthy-cookie nonprofit, the Purple Kale Cookie Project, which provides one cookie to the homeless for each one purchased by a customer. She plans to eventually implement the idea and cookie recipe 麻豆精品 S� which includes beet juice, cocoa, chia seeds and kale to provide plenty of protein 麻豆精品 S� into Flourish 麻豆精品 S檚 sales.
Since then, Williams has been working to grow the company 麻豆精品 S檚 social following and customer base, selling at more farmers markets in Orlando and expanding her product line.
麻豆精品 S淚 get inspired by ingredients that are in season, 麻豆精品 S� Williams says. 麻豆精品 S淚 went to Lucky’s [Market] the other day and there was pomelo, which is like a sweet grapefruit, and thought 麻豆精品 S榃ow, that would be a cool flavor to make. 麻豆精品 S� Then I just experiment with it. 麻豆精品 S�
Flourish cookies are also made with local ingredients using produce from Sundew Gardens in Oviedo and fresh fruits and herbs from Williams 麻豆精品 S� own backyard garden.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 really reassuring to know that everything that you 麻豆精品 S檙e eating or most of the ingredients are a couple of miles from where you live, 麻豆精品 S� Williams says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 like a wholesome kind of feeling of knowing where your food comes from. That 麻豆精品 S檚 becoming a bigger [concern] as people are becoming more aware of what they 麻豆精品 S檙e eating. 麻豆精品 S�
Earlier this month, Williams launched Flourish 麻豆精品 S檚 website, allowing people to place orders for pickup or delivery near the UCF area. In the future she plans to grow her business from a cookie company to a full-service restaurant with a bakery focused on healthy eating as a lifestyle, rather than a temporary diet.
麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 like super small changes that help you [and] your mindset about things, 麻豆精品 S� she says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 not like, 麻豆精品 S極h, it 麻豆精品 S檚 a cheat day. 麻豆精品 S� It 麻豆精品 S檚 like, 麻豆精品 S極h no, it 麻豆精品 S檚 a treat day, but tomorrow I 麻豆精品 S檓 going to try to do a little bit better to balance that out. 麻豆精品 S� It 麻豆精品 S檚 all about small substitutions so it doesn 麻豆精品 S檛 seem like a huge impact, but it does make a huge impact overall. 麻豆精品 S�