Recently, we learned that Lin Sue Cooney, 12News’ evening shift news anchor, has a “sweet” addiction: toffee. And, she has a toffee business! Lin Sue and her dear friend and business partner, Cindy Leech, began a toffee business, Sweet Stops, selling their favorite delicious confections.
At Sweet-Stops, Lin Sue and Cindy’s specialty is their Pecan Toffee and now, it’s my new addition. I’ve never been such a toffee-lover until now, but their Pecan Toffee (made with dark chocolate) has the perfect ‘crunch’, not too hard and not too soft, buttery, smooth and rich, I could devour a pound of this in one sitting (not even kidding…)!
Sweet-Stops Pecan Toffee
Sweet-Stops makes other treats too – cupcakes, cookies, and truffles, perfect for gifts/favors or just if you’re needing some extra ‘sweetness’ in your life. Their goodies are packaged in adorable black-and-white striped boxes, tied with a bright red bow.
Sweet-Stops Packaging
We had a chance to interview Lin Sue to get the sweet scoop behind the business. Read her responses below:
Amy Martin: Can you tell us a bit about how you began this ‘sweet’ venture?
Lin Sue Cooney: After hearing for the millionth time “you should open a business and sell your toffee”, I decided to take the plunge! I partnered with my dear friend Cindy Leech who also loves to cook… and the orders started pouring in. We’ve been racing to keep up, ever since day one, but we are loving every second!
Amy: Have you always loved to bake?
Lin Sue: YES… but as much as I love to bake, I really enjoy seeing peoples’ faces light up when they bite into something sweet and delicious. Everyone savors dessert!
Amy: How did you and your business partner, Cindy, meet?
Lin Sue: We met at a Bible Study class year ago, only to discover we live very close to one another and shared the same values and passions in life. We balance each other very well; I’m ‘Type A’ — racing in every direction at once. She’s definitely ‘Type B’ — soothing, measured, steady as she goes.
Amy: How did you develop your recipes? Lots of trial and error, or are they secrets passed down from family members?
Lin Sue: We have our secret favorite recipes, as well as some that we’ve developed over time; plus, we keep inventing new ones. That’s the fun of being your own boss…we get to make what sounds good to us!
Amy: How do you juggle your news anchor position, family and Sweet-Stops? You must be super-woman!
Lin Sue: It’s definitely a challenge, but I am so blessed! I have an amazing husband, awesome kids, great bosses at work, and a fabulous business partner. We bake mornings, since I work the evening shift at 12News… and some weekends if we’re super busy.
Amy: Which of your sweets are the most requested?
Lin Sue: Our signature dark chocolate pecan toffee is what we’re known for; it’s super yummy. People tell us all the time that it’s the best toffee they’ve ever tasted. We pack it full of nuts and it tastes homemade… not factory-made. We make every single batch by hand and our secret ingredient is love!
Amy: Your personal favorite?
Lin Sue: Hooked on dark chocolate, so the toffee is my personal favorite, although I’m also partial to our decadent ganache-filled fudge cupcake, sinfully rich berry truffles and to-die-for sugar toffee cookies too!
Amy: Do you accept special requests or create custom cupcakes/desserts?
Lin Sue: Yes; in fact, we are doing toffee brownie favors for an October wedding at the Wrigley Mansion, and this week will be creating scrumptious zebra fudge cupcakes for a baby shower.
Amy: And finally, we hear some of your products are sold in a few AJ’s locations. Where can we find them?
Lin Sue: Most of our business is corporate gifts and party platters for big events and we also sell direct from our commercial kitchen in north central Phoenix. But for convenience, you can also find our toffee and toffee cookies in three AJ’s Fine Foods: Central and Camelback , Arcadia at 44th Street and Camelback, and in Mesa at Val Vista and Baseline. We’re in the bakery section of all three stores with beautiful displays. Look for our signature black and white striped box with a bright red ribbon.
To learn more about Sweet-Stops or place an order, visit sweet-stops.com for more information.
*Disclaimer: Samples were provided to PhoenixBites complimentary for review purposes.