Kyri Kookies
Kyri’s Kookies isn’t just a gourmet cookie brand. It’s a tale of resilience, passion, and kindness woven through the simple act of baking. Through a childhood in Brooklyn’s projects, a painful divorce, and a harrowing fight with Stage 4 cancer, Dr. Kyri Mosley learned that kindness could take the form of a cookie.
Sharing that kindness gave Dr. Mosley the strength to overcome life’s most daunting challenges. “Whenever I reached out to express my appreciation with cookies, people begged me to share my baking with the world,” she says. “I never envisioned baking as a business, but a life-and-death battle with cancer finally convinced me to do what I love most. The cookies I bake make people happy, and now the joy of spreading that happiness every day is my full-time job.”
Dr. Mosley’s baking journey began in response to a devastating divorce. As dreams collapsed around her, she felt the need to divert her attention from her troubles.
With her 12-year-old son at her side, Dr. Mosley baked loaves of bread, cakes, and dozens of cookies for soldiers serving overseas. Their one-time gesture blossomed into a monthly mission to pack the taste of home into dozens of tiny coolers and ship them across the ocean.
The joy Dr. Mosley discovered in those simple acts of kindness kindled her lifelong love of baking. More importantly, The heartfelt notes of thanks she received from soldiers showed her the path to emotional healing.
Employed at a community hospital in Brooklyn, Dr. Mosley began baking cookies as tokens of appreciation for hardworking colleagues. Demand for her cookies grew, and clinic staff begged her to let them place orders.
Just when Dr. Mosley’s cookies started gaining fame, she received the sudden diagnosis of stage 4 Ewing Sarcoma. The prognosis was not good. The cancer had already claimed her right pelvic wall and lymph nodes in her lungs.
Dr. Mosley chose to undergo an arduous regimen, entailing six weeks of chemotherapy and radiation. Though the treatments finally put her cancer in full remission, they left her in chronic pain and unable to walk.
“One of my favorite memories is baking with my son after remission,” recalls Dr. Mosley. “When times get hard, I bake through them, and Jordan knew I needed to bake. He set out a chair for me and brought every ingredient I asked for. Every morning, he’d say, ‘What do you want to bake today, Mom?’”
The battle with cancer left Dr. Mosley determined to spend the rest of her life doing the one thing that brings her the most pleasure: spreading kindness and joy through cookies. Fueled by faith and the encouragement of her family, she made the pivotal decision to bake full-time.
Though challenged almost to the breaking point by intensive physical therapy, Dr. Mosley and her son designed a website, rented a commercial kitchen, and started taking orders. “The first orders gave me life,” she recalls. “To make them happen, I had to push through a world of pain. The confidence of those people drove me to do greater things. In my weakest hours, they believed in my product and continued to return for more.”
Dr. Mosley’s growing business gave her much more than financial support. It gave her the purpose and fulfillment she needed to reclaim her life. It also brought her closer to her friends and neighbors. “I’ve felt such love from my family and community,” she acknowledges. “When far more orders poured in than we could manage, thanks to our feature on Oprah’s show, volunteers flooded in to pack cookies and assemble gift boxes.”
Today, Kyri’s Kookies is more than an all-organic luxury cookie company; it’s a testament to Dr. Mosley’s indomitable spirit. Earning recognition as one of Oprah’s 2023 Favorite Things, the cookies — each baked with “a hug in every bite” — encapsulate a journey of healing, resilience, and triumph.
Kyri’s Kookies continues to grow. The brick-and-mortar shop recently celebrated its first anniversary, and Dr. Mosley already needs to expand. She will soon occupy a 290,000-square-foot facility and employ hundreds more from her community.
Though much has changed, Dr. Mosley’s son still bakes by her side and every cookie carries the taste of kindness. Kyri’s Kookies are about the joy of eating something made with care, the power of family support, and the strength of the human spirit. They do more than please the stomach; they nourish the soul.
About the Author: Marcy Paulson is a full-time writer based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. She’s been featuring her clients’ stories for eight years and still can’t wait for the next interview. When she’s not near a keyboard, you’ll either find her picking guitar with her husband in their old-time string band, paddling the Tennessee River, or hiking through the Appalachian foothills with their kids.
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