Photos: Chris Emeott
… they’ll probably want it served warm.
Food, whether it’s a full meal, a dessert or a snack, often goes hand-in-hand with important life events. This time of year, students begin returning to classrooms as the academic year swings into gear. And you know what that means. When kids go to school, they come back home at the end of the day. And when they return after a full day hitting the books and navigating their world outside of home, they’ll probably want a snack. What’s a better home-from-school treat than a nice, warm cookie?
Wayzata’s Oven Fresh Cookies (formerly known as Tank Goodness) focuses its business on serving and delivering warm cookies. Thanks to special packaging, the team can deliver up to 200 dozen cookies in one fell swoop. But there’s room for small orders too! “These make perfect gifts for celebrations, birthdays, sporting events, get togethers, club meetings [and] study groups; the list goes on,” says J Sisk, operations manager. The cookies also make appearances at community events; you might have seen (or tasted!) them at James J. Hill Days in Wayzata.
Students hunkered down for study sessions or midterm and final review sessions might appreciate a special delivery cookie care package by way of new partnerships with DoorDash and Uber Eats.
The family-owned and operated business was launched in 2004 by husband-and-wife duo Dennis and Anne Tank in south Minneapolis. Allison (Sisk) Bellomy bought the company from the Tank family and ran it for about nine years, selling to Jeff Sisk (her father) and J Sisk (her brother). “Having a family business fills your heart with joy,” Jeff says. “We both learn from each other,” noting that he mentors J, while J keeps his dad updated on “what’s new,” including technology. Plus, there’s just the connection factor. “You can never see your kids enough, at least me,” Jeff says.
“It doesn’t feel like a [traditional] boss relationship,” J says. “It’s just an easy relationship.”
While familial ties might be a secret ingredient for Oven Fresh Cookies, serving the cookies warm certainly plays a starring role. “We take lots of care in keeping our cookies warm and gooey,” Jeff says. “They are baked to perfection, then allowed to slightly cool, allowing the edges to firm up enough to not damage the cookie with our tapered spatula.” The warm cookies are placed in specially designed boxes (The shape and thickness of the box help retain heat.) and like a hot pizza in a warming bag, utilize Oven Fresh Cookies’ heating technology.
Oven Fresh Cookies’ (formerly-known as Tank Goodness) cookie jar is filled with a variety of cookies, including staples Chocolate Chip (signature), Double Chocolate Chunk, Oatmeal Raisin, Salted Caramel, Snickerdoodle and White Macadamia Nut. Watch for seasonal stars too.
For those who want to send care packages to college students, for example, or need to store them after an event, there is something to keep in mind. Once the cookies cool (and if there are leftovers), they stay good for up to two weeks, so be mindful of time. “We do not add any preservatives like a lot of store-bought cookies, so I wouldn’t give it a shelf life of over two weeks,” Jeff says.
So, what’s on the order list? Every season, a couple new cookies are featured, but the staple six include: Chocolate Chip (signature), Double Chocolate Chunk, Oatmeal Raisin, Salted Caramel, Snickerdoodle and White Macadamia Nut. “We are looking to add a gluten-free option to the menu, along with a couple other secret noncookie side projects,” J says. Any hints? The project is centered around something for “the athlete in the family,” Jeff says. Think: hearty, less sweet!
Oven Fresh Cookies
18318 Minnetonka Blvd., Wayzata; 612.824.8265
Facebook: Oven Fresh Cookies- Tank Goodness
Instagram: @ovenfreshcookiesllc
