Hi, I’m Jill! I’ve always had a passion for food beginning in college when I worked fora local sub sandwich shop preparing and delivering subs to students, most often tosatisfy their late night “munchies.” I then began my professional career in the foodindustry first as a server and then as General Manager of several top Chicagorestaurants. After raising two kids and exploring what to do next, a friend (Susie)and I decided to start a company together. We both loved to bake cookies and so weco-founded The Cookie Joint in 2008.We knew there were a lot of cookie companies out there but felt that there hadn’tbeen anything new or different in the cookie industry since, well, the Oreo. Our goalwas to create something truly innovative. A reinvention of what a cookie could be.And what we believed the cookie industry was lacking and millions of foodies weredesperately seeking. So after brainstorming dozens of cookie ideas, we dreamed upCOOKIE FRIES—shortbread cookies shaped like crinkle-cut French fries andpackaged in classic fry cartons.COOKIE FRIES have been featured in dozens of media outlets and Influencersincluding Oprah Winfrey’s “O List of Favorite Things,” Food Network’s “Chopped” TVepisode, Khloe Kardashian’s “Good American” denim launch, Chrissy Teigen’s “FriesParty,” and numerous TV segments and print.Jill.balick@thecookiejoint.com