Families who have suddenly lost a loved one are trying to turn that pain into purpose.
The Cook family (Kim, Lindsey, Britney, and Kaylin Cook) of Sacramento, California, founded Something Sweet in 2022. This is a premium frozen cookie dough brand that ships nationwide.
Fox News Digital spoke to mom Kim Cooke, Lindsey Cooke, 27, and Brittany Cooke, 25, about their journey to becoming entrepreneurs and how this special family member is their “why.” He talked about whether it would continue to be that way.
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Dan Cook, Kim Cooke’s husband and father of her three girls, passed away suddenly in November 2021. Kim Cooke said it was like a “country song theme”.
“In a very short period of time, I lost my husband and my job,” she said, referring to her 20-year career in consumer packaged goods.
The entire Cook family is here – from left: Lindsey, Dan, Kim, Britney, and Kaylin. (something sweet)
But Dan Cook’s death was a defining moment for the close-knit family the father-of-three had considered “Team Cook” when he passed away years ago.
“When I was pregnant and I took them out often, we all joked that we had a team,” Kim Cook recalled of her family from the beginning.
“We made a lot of decisions about how we approach life as a team and as a family.”
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Tearfully, families shared the impact Dan Cook had on their lives and how they chose to take that pain and turn it into purpose.
“This has been a dream we’ve talked about as a family for as long as I can remember,” said daughter and sister Brittney Cook.
From left to right, Kim, Kaylynn, and Britney cook with Something Sweet Cookies. (something sweet)
“I know my dad and I always had ideas for different businesses that we wanted to do as a family,” she said.
Around the same time Kim Cooke lost her job, Britney Cooke was brainstorming steps her family could take to honor her loved one’s legacy.
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Kim Cook remembers how much her husband loved baking his popular brown butter chocolate chip cookies and always joked, “I wish I could sell them.”
“Mom, dad always wanted me to do something with baked goods,” Kim Cook recalled telling her daughter Brittany Cook one day.
Kim Cook, a self-taught baker and self-proclaimed food junkie, said she had always thought about selling cookies, but the timing just wasn’t right.
What you see here is that Kim and Brittney Cook came up with the idea for this business before taking it to someone else. (something sweet)
“We had kids in college, so we always tried to be realistic,” Kim Cook said. “I knew a brick-and-mortar style bakery wasn’t really the path I wanted to go down.”
Britney Cook said, “I have this idea. When we were growing up, you always had frozen cookie dough in the freezer. Dad loved your brown butter chocolate chip cookies. Maybe I should sell it.”
“This has been a dream that my family has talked about for as long as I can remember.”
After a family meeting with two other sisters, the family came together to create Something Sweet, and “Team Cook” was back.
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The brand was launched two months later, to coincide with the first anniversary of Dan Cook’s death.
Within two months of its release, Something Sweet was shipping across the country, and less than a year later, it was in retail stores in California.
Kim Cooke, in the background, and from left to right, Britney Cooke and Kaylynn Cooke, spread the word about the faith and encouragement they received from Dan Cooke. (something sweet)
“It was a truly divine moment,” Britney Cook said.
Lindsay Cook, who handles the marketing side of the venture and lives in Denver, Colorado, told Fox News Digital that her father always encouraged her and her sisters to follow their dreams.
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“He was full of life and always had a can-do attitude. Nothing was too big,” she said.
The 27-year-old said her father left them with the words, “No dream or goal is too big, just work towards it.”
The family has tried to incorporate Dan Cook into their activities as much as possible. That includes creating a logo that incorporates family and faith.
Cook tiles are a combination of shapes that represent the whole family and their faith. (something sweet)
The Cook tile has four circles for women, with Dan Cook in the center.
Inside the overlapping circles is a cross representing abiding faith in the future.
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“Without faith, we wouldn’t be here today. It’s so important to us,” Lindsey Cook said.
She said their business is “in our bones” and the family feels it is “a God-given.”
“It was a truly divine moment.”
“We’re putting our faith and trust into something that we have no idea where this is going to take us, but it’s scary and uncomfortable and scary every day to take this big leap,” she said.
Members of the Cook family have turned pain into purpose, remembering husband and father Dan Cook at every turn. (Lizzie Fassing Horan)
Lindsay Cook added: “But it was something that was put on our minds and we have a strong team there so we are very confident in what we are doing. I have, and it is my Father and God with us,” he added.
Kim Cook said her family deals with the loss every day, but has decided to believe that everything happens for a reason.
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“We may not understand it, but we have to believe that this is the way it’s supposed to be. It doesn’t make it any less painful, but we’re just on this path.” That’s all,” she said.
As for Something Sweet’s growth, as we work to expand our business, our pre-made frozen cookies are currently available for purchase in packs of 10 online and at select retailers around California.
Something Sweet is available online and at select retailers in California. (something sweet)
Lindsay Cook said, “Being able to channel our grief into something that could reach so many people was the greatest healing for all of us in many ways. It was our salvation.” Ta.
Anyone can visit somethingsweetdough.com for more information.
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