I recently sat down with Famous Wally Amos to try some of his new chocolate cookies! Wow, they are amazing! The Cookie Kahuna is Wally’s latest offering. Wally started Famous Amos cookies forty years ago. Mr. Amos certainly knows good taste. These cookies are the same gourmet taste as his original cookie. He uses the same recipe he started with in Hollywood, California in 1975. The cookies come in three flavors. They are chocolate chip, butterscotch with macadamia nuts and chocolate chip with pecans. Each cookie is handmade in Hawaii. Wally uses butter and pure vanilla in his ingredients. I met with Wally Amos at his Honolulu home. Located in beautiful Waikiki, Hawaii. We talked about cookies and Wally’s secret to success. Wally is extremely optimistic and full of energy. Wally met us in his trademark watermelon hat. The first thing he did was offer me a cookie. I have to say it was delicious. I’ve always loved chocolate chip cookies, but The Cookie Kahuna has a taste that is particular to Wally Amos. “March 10th, 2015 will be forty years since I started Famous Amos Cookies,” Wally tells me when we first meet. “March 10th, 1975 is when I opened my first store in Los Angeles called, Famous Amos”. Located on Sunset Boulevard and Formosa, the store was a landmark for many years. Wally Amos is famous for making chocolate chip cookies. In his first year of operation, he sold $300,000.00 in cookies and more than $1,000,000.00 in his second year. He is one part gourmet cookie expert and one part motivational speaker. He tells me, “Your taste buds don’t lie. Food is taste!” He’s right about good taste. These cookies are tiny, delicious and distinctive. He eagerly says, “You can’t fool your mouth.” As he hands me a cookie to sample he says, “Please confirm that I’m telling the truth.” When I ask him where his eternal optimism comes from he says, “Life is like a mathematical equation! You can’t change anything! There is a reason for everything in your life. Just like in a math equation. You can’t leave anything out to get to where you are. ” He also said, “There is no tomorrow. There is no future, no past and no yesterday. You’re always here. Nothing else matters but now.” Wally Amos is a very giving person. When he started Famous Amos cookies back in 1975, he also got into helping adults learn how to read. He became the first spokesperson for a non-profit organization that helps Adult Literacy. He offers, “Never give up. No matter what, please don’t give up.” he also believes that, “When you don’t know what you can do, you can do anything.” Wally really believes in getting people reading. He is still working with the Adult Literacy program forty years later. You can tell he is passionate about it. He told me, “Being famous isn’t important. What you do with it is.” He is dedicated to the Non profit group Read It Loud which encourages parents to read to there children for at least ten minutes a day. He also confided in me, “I’m just a guy that sells cookies.” but you can tell that there is a lot more to Wally Amos. His indelible spirit makes him an American Icon. He is someone worthy of a Kennedy Center Award. If you see the Cookie Kahuna at a store near you, please pick up a bag or two. You’ll be enjoying an American gourmet legacy. In closing, I really liked Wally Amos’ new chocolate chip cookie called the Cookie Kahuna. Wally Amos believes in being positive and loving one another. Try some Cookie Kahuna cookies soon! Website; http://cookiekahuna.com Also see Read It Loud; http://www.readitloud.org
