Julia Benitan

Founder, Cookies & Schmear

Baking had always been one of Julia Benitan’s passions, but it wasn’t until she started bringing cookies to her volunteer shifts at Big Brothers, Big Sisters of America that Benitan realized she had something special on her hands. “[The children] started asking, ‘Miss Julia, can we have cookies again?’ I noticed everyone was loving it…and it grew by word of mouth,” she says.

Growing up with a French grandmother who taught her the art of pastry-making, Benitan even remembers making her first cookie: a peanut butter concoction with a chocolate kiss.

In 2016, Benitan did an apprenticeship with an acclaimed pastry chef, which taught her the importance of details and technique. Above all, she credits her upbringing in Coral Gables and her varied cultural background (mostly French, but also Mongolian, Russian, Ukrainian, North African, and Algerian) for presenting her with “the privilege of tasting difference spices and pairings of food that we generally don’t think of putting together.” Following that tradition, her cookies range in a wide variety of flavors, from chocolate chip to guava, and are made with only the best, freshest ingredients. You can even add “schmear” – Benitan’s specialized version of icing – to create cookie sandwiches.

Accomplishments

Benitan’s cookies are so good – and good for you – that even the Miami Heat eat them. The basketball team’s nutritionists work with Benitan every year to create unique flavors and themes for the players based on their favorite ingredients. Though she has her own website, she mostly sells on Goldbelly, an online foodie marketplace, and locally through the Little Local retail app. Her cookies are also available at Coral Gables’ Books & Books Café and you can find her on Instagram at @cookies__and__schmear.

What She Says

“I think every step of building a small business is an accomplishment, and I try to face every new feat as such,” says Benitan. “The reason why you start a small business is to really thrive doing the things you love and to spread that love through your product. My cookies, I make them with so much love and intention and quality ingredients, and I know people feel that when they try them. That’s the gift. When you have the ability to do something with so much love and passion, you’re just continuously paying that forward.” – Kylie Wang