Ten years ago, Elizabeth Pyle was working in the field of interior architecture in San Francisco. Today she is the mother of 7-year-old twins, using her baking skills and business acumen to run Local Cookie out of her Carrboro home. Local Cookie makes (you guessed it) cookies, but also morning pastries like scones, muffins, coffee cake and sweet breads. They are so good that they were nominated in the local food category of Martha Stewart’s American Made event.

IMG_8190Elizabeth has been living in Carrboro for six years. She moved to the area with her family after coming to the realization that Carrboro offers a slower pace and a wonderful, friendly environment for raising the children. She’s always been creative and, like many mothers, found that she wanted to find a new outlet for her creativity during those early years. She has always loved baking. It brings her calm, makes the house smell wonderful and makes other people happy. She got into the habit of trying new recipes and dropping things off at neighbors’ homes. People enjoyed what she brought and started suggesting she try selling them. Three years ago she decided to go for it, and Local Cookie was born.

You may have had something from Local Cookie without realizing it. They’re sold at many local cafes and farmers markets. You can find her products at Johnny’s, Looking Glass Café and Boutique, Market Street Coffee, Merritt’s, Oasis in Carr Mill, Southern Season, and all three Weaver Street Markets. Her products are also available at Eno River Farmers Market. You can even special order them online (or find more information) at http://www.localcookie.net/

Local Cookie’s products are made from scratch using quality ingredients. Elizabeth’s kitchen is inspected and regulated by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture. She makes a large variety of drop cookies, shortbreads, bar cookies, shaped cookies and biscotti, along with seasonal products. I recently tried both the Ginger Spice Shortbread and the Dried Cranberry Shortbread and loved them both.

Did you know that December 4 is National Cookie Day? It is, and Local Cookie and Looking Glass Cafe are partnering with TABLE, an area non-profit that focuses on local childhood hunger by providing weekly emergency food aid to hungry Chapel Hill-Carrboro children, in a non-perishable food collection event. That Wednesday, from 2:30-4:00 pm, bring in a non-perishable food donation to Looking Glass Café at 601 W. Main Street in Carrboro and enjoy a free cookie, coffee and craft. This is a great event to take your kids to; they get a cookie and learn about how important it is to help others in need. If you’d like to go, please RSVP to info@localcookie.net.

No matter what, please try some Local Cookie products and, as Elizabeth so perfectly puts it, “spread a little cookie joy.”