Levain Bakery

Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald founded Levain Bakery in 1995 as a small bread shop on the Upper West Side of NYC. The tireless pair, who had trained for triathlons and still keep a robust fitness regimen, started making mammoth 6-ounce cookies with simple high-quality ingredients. After finalizing the recipe, they quietly offered the cookies for sale, and they flew out of the stores. Nearly 25 years later, Levain is often lauded as the home of the world's best cookie. A modern heritage brand, Levain has 8 bakery locations (and another opening this summer), a bustling ecommerce gifting business and a thriving line of frozen cookies found in grocery stores nationwide.