With his vision of obtaining, maintaining, and increasing the quality of love in his world, Amos has been recognized for his passion, conscience, caring, and charity. He also devoted much of his time and money to promoting literacy and hosted the PBS show Learn to Read. Upon discharge from the service, Amos attended secretarial school, learning shorthand, typing, and accounting skills. Some bags contained no cookies at all. Karl Braun Drive Mr. Amos became a paid spokesman but left in frustration the next year. A Self-Made Man Wallace Amos, Jr. was born in Tallahassee, Florida, in 1936. . His stern mother was full of life. That was the whole schtick.". an agent and by 1974, he was looking for something new. Wally Amos had long ago lost control of Famous Amos, the cookie company he founded in 1975, and had even lost the right to use his name or the famous likeness of himself with his. The company focused on fat-free, nutritious muffins at that time. As Amos celebrated the book's success, his business was losing money. Chocolate chip cookies have been good to him -and the cookie god knows, no one has done more for chocolate chip cookies than Amos. In 1992, President Baking Company bought Famous Amos for $61 millionmore than 55 times what Wally Amos sold his controlling stake for just a few years earlier. New York: D. I. Amos no longer sports a beard or his iconic Panama hat, now displayed in a Smithsonian museum. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. After his parents divorced, his mother moved the family to Harlem, to live with her sister Della. Like all sugar-induced highs, Wally later wrote in Watermelon Wisdom: Seeds of wisdom, slices of Life, it didnt last. In the mid-80s, the company began churning through owners until Amos was demoted to a figurehead, then bought out entirely by a foreign banking conglomerate. Wally Amos was born on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida. . When Amos was 12, his parents separated and later divorced. Never better!". But this wasn't Wally Amos's greatest creation. It is entitled ''Man With No Name: How the Founder of the Censored Cookie Company Lost Everything, Including His Name -- and Turned Adversity Into Opportunity.'' In 1988 the company lost $2.5 million, and the Shansby Group purchased it for $3 million. ''Somehow or another caramel coloring had been added and I don't know why that was,'' the 63-year-old Mr. Amos said, the lines in his forehead becoming more pronounced. In 1975, he explained his strategy to the New York Times: The marketing campaign worked. Why did Wally Amos lose his company? Fax: (816) 502-4155 He started in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency and in 1962 became the first Black talent agent in their history. Most of the dedicated Famous Amos shops were shuttered. His responsibilities were diminished to the point that he became no more than a spokesperson for the brand name. ''If Dave left Wendy's and came back after 10 years because things had not gone well the message is signaling change that 'We're going back to the way we used to be.' A high school dropout who eventually earned a general equivalency diploma, Mr. Amos knew little about business basics and failed to hire managers who did. When he sold Famous Amos in 1985, Wally Amos lost more than a company. Famous Amos - Wikipedia "My responsibility, as I see it, is keeping our visibility level very high," he explained to the Los Angeles Times in 1985. He moved to New York Citys Harlem at age 12 to live with his Aunt Della. Food is part of pop culture, much like fashion, Szewczyk says. A Newsweek correspondent called him the progenitor of the upscale cookie and the greatest cookie salesman alive. Today Amos is no longer involved with the Famous Amos cookies found in most supermarkets and many vending machines, but he has begun a whole new gourmet cookie venture, the Uncle Nonam Cookie Company. . Whatever Happened To The Cookie Kahuna After Shark Tank? - Looper.com That's not a bad pitch.''. I don't live my life for other people. "I like chocolate chip cookies, man. And it was filled with the aroma of her delicious chocolate chip cookies." To Wally, setbacks were burnt cookiessacrifices on the alter of carelessness. In nine books, hundreds of speeches, and countless baking metaphors, Wally pours half-full glasses. He added that they were both conscientious churchgoers who regarded "anything that appeared to be fun, like dancing" as a sin. Famous amos cookies with walnuts | Updated January 2023 When he decided to go into the cookie business, Marvin Gaye and Helen Reddy were among his backers. ", While "The Cookie" was supposedly the star, Amos's kindness and goodwill helped make Famous Amos successful. Despite the company's poor financial history, and the fact that Uncle Wally's muffins have not become the huge hit with consumers that Famous Amos cookies once were, the business had modest revenues of about $3 million last year and the product is winning fans, Mr. Avignone said. He then started another job, in the mailroom of the William Morris Agency, a leading theatrical booking and hiring agency. Web site: http://www., Wallmoden, Amalie Sophie Marianne (17041765), Walpole, Horace William, 4th Earl of Orford, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/amos-wally-1937, https://www.encyclopedia.com/reference/trade-magazines/amos-wally, https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/economics-magazines/amos-wally, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookie Company. Amos struggled to keep up with the brands rapid growth. Ever the optimist, he views the experience as yet another reminder of the power of faith and positive thinking. After a four-year stint in the U.S. Air Force, Amos returned to New York in 1957. It doesn't even honor a person. 1996: Uncle Noname released line of low-fat baked goods. 23 Feb. 2023 . Kimbro, Dennis, and Napoleon Hill. Still, Amos said, he had confidence that he could make his way in the world. He showed his interest in cooking at a young age. 1992: Started Uncle Noname Cookie Company. Film and television stars, pop singers, and politicians all professed a craving for Famous Amos cookies. His good nature and solid work habits soon helped him to advance, and he was eventually named the companys first black agent. Amos considered the Famous Amos cookies of the 1990s to be cheap knockoffs, which had neither the quality nor the taste of his original cookies. If at 54, Amos enjoys being an apostle of cheer, he has led a serious life. . . The shop cleared $300k its first year. Since then, Famous Amos has expanded its in-store profile, branching out to more grocery stores, gas stations and big box stores. Wally Amos will always be famous, even though he cant call himself that anymore. By the early 1980s, Famous. His cookie shop, Chip & Cookie, is a couple of miles from his home in the oceanside community of Kailua. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}Elon Musk. Encyclopedia.com. That would be himself. I have a fetish for chocolate chip cookies. Later, in 1987, Amos won the Horatio Alger Award, which is given to Americans who have shown purpose and. Around the time Wally lost ownership in his company, his career took perhaps it's most remarkable turn. 1975: Opened first Famous Amos retail outlet. "Amos, Wally ''They can conceptualize brilliantly but then struggle to implement.''. If you respect your customers as friends, they will respect you and support you in good times and bad times, he said. Famous Amos was the real star of the brand, appearing on packaging and merchandise in his signature straw hat and embroidered cotton shirt. Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies, as seen in an alternate universe. He would throw his efforts into the cookies that had come to occupy so much of his time. How Did Famous Amos Lose His Company In the late 1980s, Famous Amos ran into trouble when sales of his cookies began to decline. 17678; December 20, 1993, pp. Box 897Kailua, Hawaii 96734. In financial terms, Wally wrote in 1996, all Ive done since is amass debt and miss payments.. He brought them to meetings and gatherings, always getting enthusiastic praise. "He was a fun, positive personality. He is the founder of the Famous Amos chocolate-chip cookie, the Cookie Kahuna, and Aunt Della's Cookies gourmet cookie brands, and he was the host of the adult reading program, Learn to Read . He was an amazing marketer and had great promotional instincts. ''And they were using a real low-grade vanilla flavoring, and I always used vanilla extract. It could be worth a few million in a couple of years. Amos had finally found a superstar worthy of his managementhis own gourmet cookies. "When Ray came to the studio, he told me the year we opened the store, in '75, was when he first moved to L.A. Did Shark Tank have Crumble cookies? Theyve said I am a victim. 2023 Southern California Public Radio - All Rights Reserved, The Early LA Daredevils Who Defied Gender Norms, The Groundbreaking Suicide Squad That Tested Early Rockets And Flirted With The Occult, Why A Property Worth Millions Was Returned To The Tongva Tribe, The Rise Of Lady Lowriders And Other All-Women Car Clubs In LA, The Murderous Lover Who Lived In A Silver Lake Attic. Famous amos oatmeal raisin | Updated January 2023 ''Certainly Wally Amos carries the namesake, so it was an obvious place to look'' for a spokesman, said Bruce Grieve, Keebler's vice president for new-business development. Most recently, he appeared on Shark Tank at age 80 pitching The Cookie Kahuna, a business that eventually failed. He created a massive global brand.Famous Amos Cookies.and then lost it all.vMost cookie lovers don't. And though few people knew it, Mr. Amos's personal affairs were in such disarray that during the worst of it, he was 15 months behind on the mortgage for his house in Hawaii. That became his shtick. At the time, Mr. Amos challenged the barriers of entertainment as a Black man and went on to create a flourishing cookie empire. His parents divorced when he was twelve, and Amos was sent to live with his Aunt Della in Harlem, New York. He is undiscourageable. Hard as it is to imagine in the '90s, there was a time in America when there was no shop devoted solely to chocolate chip cookies. Mismanagement, Sloppy Hiring Practices, Lack Of Transparency. Although Wally Amos was introduced to chocolate chip cookies by his Aunt Delia and her old-fashioned recipe, when Amos started his own business he used a recipe by Ruth Wakefield, who is credited with inventing chocolate chip cookies at her Toll House Inn in Whitman, Massachusetts, in the 1930s. Your tax-deductible financial support keeps our stories free to read, instead of hidden behind paywalls. Reflecting on his changing fortunes in Parade, Amos concluded: When you say I will with conviction, magic begins to happen. Amos began selling shares of the business to outsiders; he also tried to launch new products such as chocolate sodas, which did not work out. A successful motivational speaker, he penned inspirational self-help books and received a 1986 award for entrepreneurial excellence from President Ronald Reagan. It's as simple as that. . He was the first black talent scout in America. What is Wally Amos doing now? - The Billions Amos's promo packet and boundless enthusiasm were enough to convince entertainment industry friends, including singer Helen Reddy, her husband, producer Jeff Wald (another product of the William Morris mailroom) and record executive Artie Mogull to invest in the venture. [9], Due to financial troubles, Amos was forced to sell the Famous Amos Company, and because the name "Famous Amos" was trademarked by his former company, he had to use The Uncle Noname's Cookie Company as his new company's name. I got tired of not making any money and constantly giving all my energy to someone else, he recalled in Ebony. I wanted to do something that really had quality. Article Title: Wally Amos Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/business-leaders/wally-amos, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: May 24, 2021, Original Published Date: April 3, 2014. "The thing that got us in trouble is when I tried to actually run the business. Following his parents' separation in 1948, Amos was sent to New York City to live with his Aunt Della, who often baked homemade chocolate chip and pecan cookies. Under the Uncle Noname label, by 1996 Amos had again scored success with fat-free gourmet sweets. Amos decided to change the brands name to Uncle Nonam. Wally Amos is a salesman who uses flair, hype, and showmanship to convey his message.". This was comfort food at its best. Famous Amos: The Stand-Up Comedian Actor And Writer In 1992, he started producing high-priced hazelnut cookies under the name Wally Amos Presents. Famous Amos was seen in the Macys Thanksgiving Day parade every year from 1977 to 1981, as well as on the label of each cookie bag. His entrepreneurial spirit in tact, Mr. Amos switched to a line of low-fat and fat-free muffins. By 1977, when Wally moved to Hawaii with his family, Famous Amos had added two baking and manufacturing facilities and additional stores around Los Angeles and its first in Hawaii. . His mother, especially, was an uncompromising disciplinarian. In 1967, Amos left William Morris and moved to Los Angeles, where he struggled to set up his own personal management company. And with his Keebler deal, Mr. Amos is back on the promotional circuit. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. He was living close by in Hollywood and he was starving. Dear reader, we're asking you to help us keep local news available for all. Wally Amos was born on July 1, 1936, in Tallahassee, Florida. I think its bordering on being fanatical.. While it certainly was a comment on the fact that he could not use his own name, Noname actually had a Hawaiian pronunciation, No-nah-may. In 2017, he launched a GoFundMe announcing he was struggling to pay for food, gas, and rent. Within months, Amos had opened two more West Coast franchises, and the New York-based Bloomingdale's department store had begun selling the gourmet cookies. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. Amos put together a packet for potential investors touting his product as though it was a Hollywood starlet. [15], On July 1, 1979, Amos married Christine (Harris) Amos, who later helped him design the early merchandise and packaging for Famous Amos cookies. By 2002, when Keebler and Famous Amos were bought by the Kellogg Company (see entry), Amos was unconcerned. In the room of a youngster, he plays the kazoo until the boy pulls a pillow over his head. They cant. Amos didn't only befriend the glitterati. The company sold $300,000 in cookies that year, and by 1982, revenue reached $12 million. Masekela fired him, so Amos worked at his friend John Levy's entertainment firm. Amos told Newsweek that when he saw his completed storefront, he was overjoyed. . That means everything to us.. There is no other homeland or mother country. Public Company, 550 Business Center Drive For several years, life was very good for Amos. New York: H. W. Wilson and Co., 1995. He's the agent that has cookies on him. That same year, his fascination with cooking led him to enroll in the Food Trades Vocational High School. Here was proof, Wally later wrote, that a black high school dropout from a broken home in Harlem could make it in this country.. Amos said he has since learned how much greater the success can be with a good team. We are very proud of our Famous Amos cookies and believe were producing high-quality, great-tasting product, she said. The former high school dropout has penned eight books, served as spokesman for Literacy Volunteers of America for 24 years and now gives motivational talks to corporations, universities and other groups. Amos, who turned 71 this month, is co-founder and shareholder of Uncle Wally's Muffin Co., whose products are found in 5,000 stores nationwide, including Costco and Wal-Mart. was originally published on He started in New York, then relocated to Los Angeles, California, nearer the show business capital of Hollywood. (AP Photo/Lucy Pemoni). Amos, Wally, and Gregory Amos. He signed Simon & Garfunkel and headed the agency's rock 'n' roll department. The Power in You: Ten Secret Ingredients for Inner Strength. . He wrote up a business plan and approached some of his famous friends including singers Helen Reddy (1941-) and Marvin Gaye, who each contributed to his start-up funds. Working in the business in Los Angeles was frustrating, and Amos was nearly always in debt. Sign up for NewsOne's email newsletter! Determined to make his mark by signing a blockbuster act, his tenacity was rewarded when he discovered the singing duo Simon & Garfunkel. [1] Eventually, he became the agency's first African American talent agent. Amos, Wally and Leroy Robinson. liverpool v nottingham forest 1989 team line ups; best crews to join in gta 5. jay chaudhry house; bimbo bakeries buying back routes; pauline taylor seeley cause of death When his mother and grandmother came to New York, Amos moved in with them in 1951. I deal in love." Everyone was stoned and had the munchies so he was always warmly greeted. Amos's penchant for cooking led him to enroll at the Food Trades Vocational High School, where he studied culinary arts for two years. Muffins were really our savior, said Avignone, company president and chief executive. When Wally tried to start a new companyWally Amos Presents: Chip & Cookiea federal judge told him hed sold away the rights to use his name. Amos says the mistake he made with Famous Amos Cookies was not assembling a good management team. . The man who created the Famous Amos cookie empire and eventually lost ownership of the company as well as the rights to use the catchy name is now running a modest cookie shop in Hawaii. Wally Amos No Longer 'Famous Amos,' But He'S Back in The Chips Spokesman for Literacy Volunteers of America; board member, Cities in Schools, Inc. Military service: U.S. Air Force, c. 195559. Now living in South Carolina, 83-year-old Wally Amos has plans for one last venture, Aunt Della's Cookies. Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Amos moved to New York City at age 12 because of his parents divorce. In April 2019, its current owner, Kellogg Company, announced plans to sell Famous Amos, the Keebler brand and its fruit snacks business to Ferrero for $1.4 million. According to Amos, his success as an author and a motivational speaker is due in no small part to his Aunt Della: "[Aunt Della's] basic recipe for cookies became the foundation for much of my success. After spending several years in New York City, Amos dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Air Force, where he earned his G.E.D. Two sales later, the new owners added shelf-stable ingredients and repositioned the cookies as an affordable brand, prompting its famous founder to depart. At one point, he lost his house. The man who created the Famous Amos cookie empire three decades ago and eventually lost ownership of the company as well as the rights to use the catchy name is now running a modest cookie shop in Hawaii. "Spoiled Famous Amos; Now He's the Muffin Man." '', See the article in its original context from. The name I stopped at was Marvin Gaye. He did so on purpose, but rather than stir the fires of racial stereotypes, Amos thoughtfully examined the topic of race and bias, along with many others issues he had come into contact with throughout his life. At first Amos used the Nestle's recipe printed on the side of the chocolate-chip bag. LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. Im a promoter Im not a business guy. "Whenever I see him, I've got a bag waiting for me.". Soon he had $25,000 in financial backing. Wally Amos's Net Worth is $20,000 As of now, Wally Amos has a net worth of merely $20,000. He later said of the experience, "We certainly had no monetary wealth, but Aunt Della's home was always rich in the principles and qualities vital to a childs upbringing. However, in 1985, mismanagement forced Amos to gradually sell off parts of his company. With the help of a friend, Mr. Amos eventually got the house back. In 1989, yet another group of investors dismissed Amos from the company he had founded. Amos founded the cookie company in 1975 and things just didnt go as planned. He just wanted people to have fun. Among the products developed by the company are pound cakes in such flavors as banana blueberry and orange cranberry, and fat-free muffins in a variety of flavors, including corn and honey raisin bran, apple cinnamon, chocolate passion, and blueberry. Former politics editor at the Cambodia Daily. All you have to do is drive into them.. This time, the company produces its own fat-free muffins and will soon offer take-home cupcake kits. At one point, he lost his home. ", Amos's name soon became synonymous with the crisp chocolate chip cookies he whipped up in his L.A. kitchen. Kansas City, Missouri 64141-6627 In 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read, entitled Learn to Read, produced by Kentucky Educational Television and WXYZ-TV. How Did Amos Lose Famous Amos Cookies? Charles wouldnt disclose revenues for Famous Amos, but noted it was the companys fastest-growing cookie brand. ." Some cookies were too small. It seemed to be shining as if neon paint had been used. Wally Amos became the first Black talent agent in the history of the William Morris Agency in 1962. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. By the mid-'80s, Famous Amos was losing money and Amos slowly lost control of his creation. The concept of a zero-preservative, craft-made cookie was uncommon, says Jesse Szewczyk, author of Cookies: The New Classics. Mount Prospect, Illinois 60056 "In financial terms," Wally wrote in 1996, "all I've done since is amass debt and miss payments." Around the time Wally lost ownership in his company, his career took perhaps it's most remarkable turn. Contact at: Uncle Noname Cookie CompanyP.O. The new owners gobbled up more of my share until all of a sudden I found I had lost all ownership in the company I founded, Amos wrote. Amosby then, on his third wife, kid, and cookie company, began selling self-help. Between visits to the rooms of patients (none of whom seem quite sure who the ebullient, kazoo-blowing guy is), Amos takes a pit stop. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. [19][20][21] Amos currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina, where he is working on Aunt Della's Cookies.[21]. (February 23, 2023). As a marketing hook, each bag of Uncle Nonam cookies carries a recipe for lemonade. From the beginning, he had a whole myth and lore around the store. All Rights Reserved. Best Known For: African American entrepreneur Wally Amos founded the Famous Amos cookie brand. Voit muokata valintojasi milloin tahansa napsauttamalla tietosuojan hallintapaneelin linkki sivustoissamme ja sovelluksissamme. ." Famous Amos eventually became a household name, as did Wally Amos. Ultimately, I started having cash flow problems. I think that's what he probably ended up discovering about himself.". So a decade after losing his company, Mr. Amos is back bragging about Famous Amos, like a proud father showing off his now-grown first-born. Amos, Wally, and Camilla Denton. "Just look at these," he says, looking down at the hard, small, unappealing cookies. Encyclopedia.com. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan formally presented to Wally Amos the President's Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence. "I walked into the little cubicle that was my office, and got out my phone book," Amos writes in The Cookie Never Crumbles. In 1992, from his base in Hawaii, he launched a new business. Wally Amos, creator of Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, creator, in fact, of the whole idea that chocolate chip cookies might be worthy of their own stores, turns up his nose these days at Famous Amos Cookies. Telephone: (816) 502-4000 Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Publishing, 1996. Fax: (856) 342-3878 . "My dad is a master showman," Shawn says. Here's Why It's Especially Dangerous To Hike SoCal Mountains Right Now, How 4 Words Upended A University's Journalism Program, And Stirred A Reckoning Over Race, What A Popular Yoga Teacher's Descent Into Conspiracy Theories Says About The 'Wellness To QAnon Pipeline', Ancient Lung Disease Strikes Countertop Cutters In LA. Carlsen, Clifford. Over the next few years, Amos headed the agency's newly formed rock 'n' roll department, where he worked with Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Sam Cooke. [18], Amos had lived in Hawaii from 1977 until 2018. The move proved to be a mistake, as the new owners began to run the company into the ground. What about his grinning picture on the bag? "The picture went with the company," he says. speaker earning up to $12,000 per appearance. American television personality, entrepreneur, and author, "No longer Famous, Wally Amos still baking", "The Cookie Comeback King: Wally "Famous" Amos", "A Famous Cookie And a Face to Match; How Wally Amos Got His Hand And His Name Back in the Game", "Wally Amos | Bio | Premiere Motivational Speakers Bureau", "Wally Amos Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau", "Son of 'Famous Amos' Cookie Maker Mixing His Own Batch of Blues and Soul", "Famous Amos gives cookie business another try", "No longer famous, Wally Amos still bakes sweet treats", "Famous Amos Creator Lives Near Charlotte as He Plans Next Venture", http://johnmcalley.com/assets/pdfs/feature-writing/FamousAmos.Spirit.Web.pdf, "Shark Tank: The Cookie Kahuna, from Famous Amos Creator, Crumbles in the Tank, Fails to Get A Deal", "Shark Tank Cookie Legend Wally Amos Pitches New Cookie Kahuna Brand Boom", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wally_Amos&oldid=1138663722, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with failed verification from December 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 1980, Amos appeared in the February 5 episode of. Similarly, why did Wally Amos lose his company? Chicago: Nightingale-Conant, 1988. Amos said he told him: Im a cookie man, but if you can make a good muffin, I can sell it. (Photo: Chava Sanchez/LAist; Illustration: Elina Shatkin/LAist). He spent the ensuing years working in the stock room at Saks Fifth Avenue, and in the mailroom at the prestigious William Morris Agency. The film was directed by Jeff MacIntyre. He found his "dream location" at the old House of Pies on the Sunset Strip and began to renovate it with an eye toward a March 1975 grand opening. Cookies made him famous, but Amos has his own take: I want to be known as a guy who cared about people. "The secret of Famous Amos was my attitude. Lower Lake: Aslan, 1994. What of the man who started it all? Who owns the Famous Amos cookie company now? - Wise-Answer Friends clamored for a store. "When she baked cookies and shared them, she was expressing her love for me and the rest of the family." He had an impressive client list, which included Simon and Garfunkel, the Temptations, Marvin Gaye (1939-1984), Sam Cooke (1935-1964), Dionne Warwick (1940-), and Diana Ross (1944-). Commitment kept moving me on from one point to the next. One aspect of Wally Amoss life remains consistent from one era to the next, however: his dedication to his product. Famous Amos was bought by Keebler Foods in 1998, which pleased Amos. Where was the first Amos Baking Company located? How the Cookie Crumbled Founded in 1975, the company took off almost instantly. ." Amos later recalled that the person of greatest influence in his childhood was his father's mother. He reckons Chip & Cookie will shortly be as ubiquitous as the Cabbage Patch Doll was. The message was, before you even turn the page, taste the cookies.". In 1986, President Reagan presented him with one of the first Awards of Entrepreneurial Excellence. "He worked with all the Motown acts, with the Temptations and Supremes," his son, musician Shawn Amos says.