The Maritimes’ first Craig’s Cookies location is set to open in Halifax Thursday morning. Located at 1581 Barrington St., it’s the Canadian brand’s 24th store. “We started our franchise program about three years ago, so looking at national growth, Halifax was definitely on our radar,” said Craig Pike, founder of Craig’s Cookies. Pike’s cookie journey began in 2013 when he had a month off from acting and needed to pay his phone bill. “So, I thought I would make cookies and sell them to my friends. It’s my mom’s recipe and I used to always bring chocolate chip cookies to potlucks and things like that,” he said. “I went and bought some butter and some chocolate chips and made some cookies and delivered them to my friends.” Pike sold 200 dozen cookies that first month. He continued to peddle the sweet treats for five years, delivering the baked goods by bike across the Greater Toronto Area. He opened his first store in 2018. Known for their signature pink box with a rainbow heart, Pike says each cookie is made with love. “Cookies and food were the love language in my family and, I think, in Atlantic Canada we all just love coming together with food,” said Pike. “So, it’s definitely become my love language, sort of sharing baked goods with people. It makes me happy to make people happy with them.” Pike says the company’s guiding principles are love and inclusivity, ensuring each Craig’s Cookies is a safe and welcoming space for everyone. “I am a member of the queer community, and it’s been really important for me as I grow my business to continue with an ethos of inclusivity and kindness and that East Coast hospitality,” said Pike. Customers can typically choose between 15 to 20 different freshly baked flavours when they visit a Craig’s Cookies. But, with more than 100 flavours in total, some may surprise even the most experienced cookie connoisseurs. “We’ll put anything into a cookie. We’ve done our classic, we’ve done pizza in a cookie, we’ve done poutine cookies where you dip it in gravy, so kind of the world is your oyster,” said Pike. Pike adds he’s always open to new flavour ideas. “It’s really kind of celebrating everyone’s imagination that works at Craig’s Cookies,” he said. “My favourite cookie right now is the chocolate strawberry cookie for Valentine’s Day. It’s exclusive until Feb. 14. It’s kind of our take on a chocolate-covered strawberry.” To celebrate the opening of the Halifax location, which will be owned and operated by Brendan Waddell, the first 100 guests will receive a free cookie. “Craig’s Cookies embodies the joy and connection that drew me to hospitality in the first place,” said Waddell in a news release from the company. “With its vibrant downtown core, artistic spirit, and famously friendly locals, Halifax is the perfect place to keep spreading the cookie love.” Overall, Pike says he wants his customers to have the nostalgic feeling of what it means to have a baked good. “I think we all have a connection with baked goods, whether it’s our parents or loved ones. What was that childhood memory of having that fresh piece of bread… as the business grows, we’re making sure that stays at the core of what we’re doing.” “We just want to have anyone who comes into the building to feel that warmth, whether it be literally from the cookies, or from the people,” adds Waddell. Craig’s Cookies grand opening is Thursday at 10 a.m. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
