Tough Cookie: The Wally “Famous” Amos Story

Holiday Bonanza! Cookie Q&A and A Very Dickens Christmas

Enjoy this episode from our friends at Milk Street Radio! We answer your calls with Vaughn Vreeland (of New York Times Cookie Week fame) to help you bake the best cookies of the season; historian Pen Vogler breaks down classic Christmas dishes featured in Charles Dickens’ stories, from turkey to plum pudding; author Kat Lieu shares her recipe for Old-Fashioned Cantonese Shortbread; and reporter Mackenzie Martin shares the true story of a Wisconsin holiday tradition, the wildcat sandwich.

Legacy Is a Tricky Thing

The final chapter of Wally Amos’s life (and this podcast) begins with him quite literally on the run back to Hawaii and sets up a series of painful battles for host Sarah Amos and her family.  As Sarah navigates the struggles so many face with an aging parent, she is finally forced to reckon with a father and life she had managed to avoid unpacking at all costs.  Will the Amos family be able to come together to say goodbye to the charismatic figure at the center of it all, and will Sarah find the answers she was searching for when she started this journey?

When a Cookie Crumbles

As Wally Amos continues to chase the fading fame from his Famous Amos days, he drifts farther and farther away from those who know him best, including host Sarah Amos, his daughter. New wives, new cookie companies, and new schemes to win back his fame create a version of her dad from which Sarah does her best to run. But to Sarah’s surprise, it's Wally who makes the much more dramatic escape.  New episodes every Wednesday.

Almost Happy Endings

On the surface, Wally Amos appears to have it all: the fame, the fortune, and a new wife and daughter. And to top it off, he’s living in a big pink mansion in Hawaii. He’s also helping support literacy, making a name for himself as a motivational speaker and even visiting the White House. But in reality, Wally is on the verge of losing it all. What can Wally do to save Famous Amos? And how can he do it without losing the brand that has become such an integral part of who he is? New episodes every Wednesday.

The Cookie King

From Andy Warhol to Andy Kaufman, the meteoric success of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies was filled with big personalities and truly original ideas, infused with the undeniable charm of Wally every step of the way.  But what on earth possessed him, then a struggling talent manager living in Los Angeles with his second family, to start a chocolate chip cookie company? New episodes every Wednesday.