Linda's Cookies and Making the Home Business Thrive

Linda Fernando started her own home business in Mansfield Linda’s Cookies in earnest almost six years ago, and she says it’s her life’s passion.

“Baking is one of those things I’ve always loved to do,” she said. “Ever since I was a little kid, I’d go bake when I was happy, when I was sad, anything. I always went to baking.”

Fernando, a graduate of The Institute of Culinary Education in New York, first started baking in the city. She opened up her own successful home shop there, but decided to come back to Massachusetts.

“My goal was to come back and open a bakery on Cape Cod,” she said. “I moved back here, and you know, life takes funny turns. I ended up meeting my husband starting a family.”

She said at the time she was designing wedding cakes, but had to put that on hold to raise her first child.

It was there where Fernando started her first cookie decorating party, and there have been plenty of them since.

“In 2001, I started doing cookie parties,” she said. “It was all word of mouth. I was doing parties most weekends and it was really great and fun.”

These parties, more often than not, involves the entire family. She said it’s always great to see people having fun and sharing in her confectionery passion.

After having her second child Fernando took some time off from the business, but when she started up again there was no stopping her.

“Some years ago I went back and started doing those again,” she said. “People started saying you should sell these cookies they’re really good.”

Now with her own shop our of her house and a second career as a for hire career coach, Fernando offers a wide variety of baked confectioneries, not just cookies.

Fernando has recently been on a health kick. After talking with people at the Vagabond Crossfit in Easton, she learned of a new health diet called the paleolithic diet. This diet is based on the presumed ancient diet of wild plants and animals that various hominid species habitually consumed during the Paleolithic era, which is about 2.5 million years ago. The diet excludes any grains, processed food, refined sugars, basically anything artificial, for simplicity’s sake.

Those following the diet at the gym asked her if she could make some treats for them that would satisfy their dietary concerns.

“They asked me if I could make cookies that work for them so I started doing it and now I sell them at Vagabonds,” she said. “Now, I have a whole line of cookies bites bars etc.”

Linda’s Cookies can be found online by clicking here. You can order anything at anytime.