Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/67043
talent patrol InsIght inspiration: "Mrs. Fields started at her own kitchen table, with just one single cookie. And it's the cookie of America now." Morning routine: "Spinach smoothies with Tim, sending kids to school, and paying gratitude for my life and the people that surround me." Chicago favorite: "Oak Street Beach. It's my peaceful oasis in the middle of city buzz." Long before she became a baker, Mary was working as a display manager at Walter E. Smithe. She caught Tim's eye, and they fell in love, married, and united their kids—her two girls, his four boys. After spending the last few years raising her brood, Smithe decided to launch her dream business, becoming the CCO—chief cookie officer—of Chicago Butter Cookies. The heart- shaped sweets are served at RL, have been featured on Windy City Live, and are a staple at galas and charity events across the city. This business is the fulfillment of a life- long goal. Smithe grew up in Zagreb, Croatia, and was there during the Balkan Civil War. One day in 1996, while working as a sales associate at the clothing store, a bomb went off five blocks away, and she hopped on the tram to evacuate the area and head home. "I had stomach cramps, so I got off one stop early to get some fresh air," she says. At the next stop, the train was bombed, and everyone was killed. With a new belief that her life had a higher purpose, she joined relatives in Chicago at the age of 21, speaking minimal English. "I learned [the language] from television captions and reading books at Borders on Michigan Avenue," she says. The cookies pay homage to her past and present: Although they're derived from her grandmother's recipe, the heart shape hon- ors her new home. "They come from my heart, of course, but Chicago is the heart of mary astor smithe W CHICAGO'S FIRST LADY OF FURNITURE MOVES INTO THE COOKIE BUSINESS. by molly each ith a last name like Smithe, it's no surprise Mary is a cracker- jack marketer–she's married to Tim Smithe, one of the three brothers at Chicago's largest furniture company. But this sum- mer, she's helming a sweet new business launch of her own: Chicago Butter Cookies. 62 michiganavemag.com America," says Smithe. The six varieties boast local moni- kers, too. There's the Chicago Signature, an original, simple butter cookie; the orange-flavored Orange Line; the mint-chocolate chip Lake Effect; the Gold Coast, a plain cookie half-dipped in chocolate; and The Pier, topped with chocolate and sea salt, among others. Despite the large orders, she still bakes in small batches with the help of a contract baker. "It's a handcrafted, approach," says Smithe. "My cookies are hand-cut by humans, so there's a little variation in each one." loving There's no end to the story for Smithe and her bur- geoning empire. Her recently launched website (chicagobuttercookies. com) offers cookies to every sweets lover in the city. Just a few months into her venture, Smithe is sure of one thing: She's found her calling. "They really make people happy," she says. "When they bite into a cookie, and I see their face light up, I know I'm in the right business." MA photography by maria ponce berre; styling by jacki debb at chicagoemergingartists.com; hair and makeup by frances tsalas at chichagoemergingartists.com. dress, trina turk ($298). NeimaN marcus, 737 N. michigaN ave, 312-642-5900; NeimaNmarcus.com. shoes, guess ($158). Nordstrom, 55 e. graNd ave., 312-464-1515; Nordtrom.com