Susan and Laura with their Susansnaps
An Interview with a Mother-Daughter Baking Duo
Laura Stachler has experienced more than her fair share of cancer battles with close family members. In 1977, Laura’s sister Susan Carver, died from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at just 28-years-old. In 2003, Laura’s husband Ken was diagnosed (and began treatment) for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Less than a year later, her daughter Susan (aged 22) was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, just a week before her graduation.
Laura watched both her husband and daughter undergo chemotherapy within the course of a year. Noticing that both Susan and Ken suffered from chronic nausea due to the chemotherapy, she decided to come up with a rather sweet way to relieve their symptoms – baking gingersnap cookies!
And that is how the cookies got a-crumbling…
Laura Stachler has experienced more than her fair share of cancer battles with close family members. In 1977, Laura’s sister Susan Carver, died from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at just 28-years-old. In 2003, Laura’s husband Ken was diagnosed (and began treatment) for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Less than a year later, her daughter Susan (aged 22) was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, just a week before her graduation.
Laura watched both her husband and daughter undergo chemotherapy within the course of a year. Noticing that both Susan and Ken suffered from chronic nausea due to the chemotherapy, she decided to come up with a rather sweet way to relieve their symptoms – baking gingersnap cookies!
And that is how the cookies got a-crumbling…
Susansnaps close-up
Head to Toe Wellness: Laura and Susan, could you please give us an overview of how Susansnaps evolved and your family’s cancer history?
Susansnaps: Susansnaps are a labor of love that were developed after my mom watched my dad and me, Susan (named for my Aunt Susan, who died from cancer) undergo chemotherapy within the same year. At times, my dad and I even had chemo side by side! Ginger is a natural stomach soother, so through my mom’s small baking company, she developed the ultimate gingersnaps filled with deep, dark molasses, the perfect blend of spices, and topped in sugar crystals.
Head to Toe Wellness: How did the name ‘Susansnaps’ come about?
Susansnaps: As my mom’s gingersnaps were becoming popular, my mom coined them “Susansnaps” in memory of her sister Sue (who died from Hodgkin’s at age 28) and in honor of me (who beat Hodgkin’s at 22). Anyone can have a gingersnap, but a Susansnaps is quite unique!
Head to Toe Wellness: Laura, what were you doing prior to the cookie business? Have you always loved baking?
Susansnaps: I was staying busy as a stay-at-home mother of four. Growing up in the restaurant business, I’ve always had a passion for cooking, baking, entertaining, and ultimately bringing smiles to people’s faces through food. While I sat at the treatment center, I saw so many sad faces and realized that people want to help but just don’t know what to do or say. Through my passion of baking, I developed the gingersnap cookies, as ginger is a natural stomach soother and cookies always make people smile.
Head to Toe Wellness: Susan, whilst undergoing chemotherapy, what side effects did you experience? How was your appetite affected? Was there anything that helped made you feel better?
Susansnaps: Some of the side effects from chemotherapy were quite brutal to say the least. Losing my hair (especially as a 22-year-old girl) was horrible. I did lose my appetite and I lost my sense of taste, so very flavorful foods or salty snacks tasted good to me. I also only wanted to eat a little bit at a time. When you are taking so much medicine you have to eat a little something, but a whole plate of food would just be overwhelming. My mom’s recipe for gingersnaps has a nice blend of spices that was quite appealing, and it was easy to eat just one or two rather than try to tackle a whole meal.
Head to Toe Wellness: Laura, how did you concoct this magical formula?
Susansnaps: I grew up in the restaurant industry and while many cakes and pies I like to bake came from my parent’s restaurant, I have to say the Susansnap recipe (and the other flavors too) is definitely mine! I toyed with a variety of formulas and blends of spices until I got my gourmet gingersnaps just right.
Head to Toe Wellness: When did you realize that these cookies would be a good idea to market to the public? How did people hear about the business?
Susansnaps: Susansnaps started as just a little idea to bake some snaps and share a few cookies with other patients at the center where Susan went for treatment. It was people’s reaction to not only the delicious product but to the story behind Susansnaps that lead us to marking our product. Word-of-mouth took off and a few local newspapers wrote about our endeavor e.g. ’the mother-daughter duo going from cancer to baking cookies!
The media coverage has been very beneficial to our business. People love our delicious cookies and fun packaging, but it’s the story behind Susansnaps that makes them one-of-a-kind. People nationwide have connected to not only our delicious product but to our unique story. People find our story inspiring, and the feedback we get keeps us working hard at Susansnaps. People like to believe that good things can come from bad experiences and that the unexpected can really come true! And, that is what Susansnaps is all about. Our cookies share a message of hope, “You can do it!”
Susansnaps: Susansnaps are a labor of love that were developed after my mom watched my dad and me, Susan (named for my Aunt Susan, who died from cancer) undergo chemotherapy within the same year. At times, my dad and I even had chemo side by side! Ginger is a natural stomach soother, so through my mom’s small baking company, she developed the ultimate gingersnaps filled with deep, dark molasses, the perfect blend of spices, and topped in sugar crystals.
Head to Toe Wellness: How did the name ‘Susansnaps’ come about?
Susansnaps: As my mom’s gingersnaps were becoming popular, my mom coined them “Susansnaps” in memory of her sister Sue (who died from Hodgkin’s at age 28) and in honor of me (who beat Hodgkin’s at 22). Anyone can have a gingersnap, but a Susansnaps is quite unique!
Head to Toe Wellness: Laura, what were you doing prior to the cookie business? Have you always loved baking?
Susansnaps: I was staying busy as a stay-at-home mother of four. Growing up in the restaurant business, I’ve always had a passion for cooking, baking, entertaining, and ultimately bringing smiles to people’s faces through food. While I sat at the treatment center, I saw so many sad faces and realized that people want to help but just don’t know what to do or say. Through my passion of baking, I developed the gingersnap cookies, as ginger is a natural stomach soother and cookies always make people smile.
Head to Toe Wellness: Susan, whilst undergoing chemotherapy, what side effects did you experience? How was your appetite affected? Was there anything that helped made you feel better?
Susansnaps: Some of the side effects from chemotherapy were quite brutal to say the least. Losing my hair (especially as a 22-year-old girl) was horrible. I did lose my appetite and I lost my sense of taste, so very flavorful foods or salty snacks tasted good to me. I also only wanted to eat a little bit at a time. When you are taking so much medicine you have to eat a little something, but a whole plate of food would just be overwhelming. My mom’s recipe for gingersnaps has a nice blend of spices that was quite appealing, and it was easy to eat just one or two rather than try to tackle a whole meal.
Head to Toe Wellness: Laura, how did you concoct this magical formula?
Susansnaps: I grew up in the restaurant industry and while many cakes and pies I like to bake came from my parent’s restaurant, I have to say the Susansnap recipe (and the other flavors too) is definitely mine! I toyed with a variety of formulas and blends of spices until I got my gourmet gingersnaps just right.
Head to Toe Wellness: When did you realize that these cookies would be a good idea to market to the public? How did people hear about the business?
Susansnaps: Susansnaps started as just a little idea to bake some snaps and share a few cookies with other patients at the center where Susan went for treatment. It was people’s reaction to not only the delicious product but to the story behind Susansnaps that lead us to marking our product. Word-of-mouth took off and a few local newspapers wrote about our endeavor e.g. ’the mother-daughter duo going from cancer to baking cookies!
The media coverage has been very beneficial to our business. People love our delicious cookies and fun packaging, but it’s the story behind Susansnaps that makes them one-of-a-kind. People nationwide have connected to not only our delicious product but to our unique story. People find our story inspiring, and the feedback we get keeps us working hard at Susansnaps. People like to believe that good things can come from bad experiences and that the unexpected can really come true! And, that is what Susansnaps is all about. Our cookies share a message of hope, “You can do it!”
Head to Toe Wellness: How did you graduate from being an online business to actually opening and running a shop?
Susansnaps: We started Susansnaps very small and slowly have grown overtime. We began the business out of our home garage that we then converted into a commercial kitchen. We then took Susansnaps to trade shows, gift shows, and road shows to get our product and story out to the public. As more people began enjoying Susansnaps, we saw our online business pick-up. Over a few years, Susansnaps continued to grow and we needed to expand to a retail shop. It’s great having a retail store where our customers can visit, shop, and try a few samples. However, we still do a majority of our business online and through shipping.
Head to Toe Wellness: Can you tell us about the different varieties of ginger cookies? Which is the most popular flavor?
Susansnaps: We bake gingersnaps in five fabulous flavors: original, cocoa, citrus, pnutty and aloha. The original Susansnap is the best seller with the citrus being a popular second choice. The original is baked with deep, dark molasses, the perfect blend of spices, and topped with sparkling sugar crystals giving them just the right snap! The citrus are tangy, lemony gingersnaps with a zingy citrus twist. The cocoasnaps are sinfully cocoa filled gingersnaps with a hint of ginger and cinnamon. Pnuttysnaps are creamy peanut butter filled snaps. The alohasnaps (which are our personal favorite) are tasty, toasted coconuty gingersnaps…a taste of the tropics! The five fabulous flavors are all available with a variety of whimsical gift packaging options.
Head to Toe Wellness: How many cookies are you baking each day/week?
Susansnaps: On busy days, we’re baking over 10,000 snaps a day! While the holidays are our busiest season, (nothing taste more like Christmas than a bite of Susansnaps), our cookies are also the perfect gift to give to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that are going through chemo and battling cancer. Part of the motivation in building Susansnaps, as a gift company was to provide an uplifting and fun gift to give cancer patients. Susansnaps makes it easy to let the cancer patients in your life know you are thinking of them. At times, cancer treatment can seem very lonely and isolating, and it really lifts your spirits to get a card, phone call, or gift that lets you know you are not forgotten and that people are thinking of you.
Head to Toe Wellness: Can you tell us about the media reaction/accolades you have received?
Susansnaps: What started as small idea to bake a few cookies has turned into a full-time company. Over the years, Susansnaps has been nationally recognized and most notably featured on The Today Show, CNN, CBS Evening News with Katie, RedBook Magazine and Family Circle. Most recently Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host on the 4th hour of TODAY, said, “They’re delicious! I love them because they’re not too sweet and Hoda Kotb loves them because just sweet enough!” What a thrill for us to have such a fabulous celebrity endorsement! Chef Bobby Flay also used Susansnaps in a cooking demonstrating and paired our snaps with his butterscotch pudding saying, “Why bake cookies when you can buy Susansnaps?”
Head to Toe Wellness: A portion of all your earnings goes toward the Susan Carver foundation. Could you please explain what this foundation does?
Susansnaps: Our foundation donates gifts of Susansnaps, gourmet gingersnap cookies, to bring smiles to patients undergoing cancer treatment, along with raising funds for research. Ginger is a natural stomach soother and a little gift of cookies is sure to bring smiles to those who need it most. We donate the bags of Susansnaps to local Atlanta cancer centers and hospitals. As we say, “Give a Snap…See a Smile!” We know we aren’t saving the world by any means, but we truly believe that if we can make a few people smile, you are making a difference.
Head to Toe Wellness: Susan, how are you and your dad doing now?
Susansnaps: Thank you for asking. I am doing very well and am happy to say, “I’m cancer free!” My Dad is also doing very well as an 18-year cancer survivor!
Head to Toe Wellness: What are your future ambitions/plans?
Susansnaps: The future of Susansnaps is to continue growing. We are looking forward to expanding our store and bakery, as we need more space for shipping and baking. It’s exciting to outgrow our small shop! We are word-of-mouth and are so thankful to our customers for being so loyal and for sharing not only our delicious snaps but also our sweetly inspiring story.
For further information and to snap up some tasty treats visit – www.susansnaps.com
Susansnaps: We started Susansnaps very small and slowly have grown overtime. We began the business out of our home garage that we then converted into a commercial kitchen. We then took Susansnaps to trade shows, gift shows, and road shows to get our product and story out to the public. As more people began enjoying Susansnaps, we saw our online business pick-up. Over a few years, Susansnaps continued to grow and we needed to expand to a retail shop. It’s great having a retail store where our customers can visit, shop, and try a few samples. However, we still do a majority of our business online and through shipping.
Head to Toe Wellness: Can you tell us about the different varieties of ginger cookies? Which is the most popular flavor?
Susansnaps: We bake gingersnaps in five fabulous flavors: original, cocoa, citrus, pnutty and aloha. The original Susansnap is the best seller with the citrus being a popular second choice. The original is baked with deep, dark molasses, the perfect blend of spices, and topped with sparkling sugar crystals giving them just the right snap! The citrus are tangy, lemony gingersnaps with a zingy citrus twist. The cocoasnaps are sinfully cocoa filled gingersnaps with a hint of ginger and cinnamon. Pnuttysnaps are creamy peanut butter filled snaps. The alohasnaps (which are our personal favorite) are tasty, toasted coconuty gingersnaps…a taste of the tropics! The five fabulous flavors are all available with a variety of whimsical gift packaging options.
Head to Toe Wellness: How many cookies are you baking each day/week?
Susansnaps: On busy days, we’re baking over 10,000 snaps a day! While the holidays are our busiest season, (nothing taste more like Christmas than a bite of Susansnaps), our cookies are also the perfect gift to give to family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers that are going through chemo and battling cancer. Part of the motivation in building Susansnaps, as a gift company was to provide an uplifting and fun gift to give cancer patients. Susansnaps makes it easy to let the cancer patients in your life know you are thinking of them. At times, cancer treatment can seem very lonely and isolating, and it really lifts your spirits to get a card, phone call, or gift that lets you know you are not forgotten and that people are thinking of you.
Head to Toe Wellness: Can you tell us about the media reaction/accolades you have received?
Susansnaps: What started as small idea to bake a few cookies has turned into a full-time company. Over the years, Susansnaps has been nationally recognized and most notably featured on The Today Show, CNN, CBS Evening News with Katie, RedBook Magazine and Family Circle. Most recently Kathie Lee Gifford, co-host on the 4th hour of TODAY, said, “They’re delicious! I love them because they’re not too sweet and Hoda Kotb loves them because just sweet enough!” What a thrill for us to have such a fabulous celebrity endorsement! Chef Bobby Flay also used Susansnaps in a cooking demonstrating and paired our snaps with his butterscotch pudding saying, “Why bake cookies when you can buy Susansnaps?”
Head to Toe Wellness: A portion of all your earnings goes toward the Susan Carver foundation. Could you please explain what this foundation does?
Susansnaps: Our foundation donates gifts of Susansnaps, gourmet gingersnap cookies, to bring smiles to patients undergoing cancer treatment, along with raising funds for research. Ginger is a natural stomach soother and a little gift of cookies is sure to bring smiles to those who need it most. We donate the bags of Susansnaps to local Atlanta cancer centers and hospitals. As we say, “Give a Snap…See a Smile!” We know we aren’t saving the world by any means, but we truly believe that if we can make a few people smile, you are making a difference.
Head to Toe Wellness: Susan, how are you and your dad doing now?
Susansnaps: Thank you for asking. I am doing very well and am happy to say, “I’m cancer free!” My Dad is also doing very well as an 18-year cancer survivor!
Head to Toe Wellness: What are your future ambitions/plans?
Susansnaps: The future of Susansnaps is to continue growing. We are looking forward to expanding our store and bakery, as we need more space for shipping and baking. It’s exciting to outgrow our small shop! We are word-of-mouth and are so thankful to our customers for being so loyal and for sharing not only our delicious snaps but also our sweetly inspiring story.
For further information and to snap up some tasty treats visit – www.susansnaps.com