Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Righi.
Hi Rachel, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I loved baking from a very young age. When I was little, my grandma babysat me and she did a lot of baking. I vividly remember sitting at the kitchen table helping her, and she always let me lick the spoon and the bowl. I still remember the exact bowl, and those memories always come up when I see it to this day. As a kid and a teenager, I did a lot of my own baking. Cakes, cupcakes, cookies, brownies, pretty much anything. In the last 5 years, I started bringing a couple of baked goods to some family gatherings, and everyone LOVED it. They always request my “famous chocolate chip cookies” when there is some sort of gathering. From there, I started experimenting with more cookie recipes, and found that I really enjoyed the cookie-making process. While I do make things other than cookies, those are really where I find the most joy and satisfaction. Last Christmas (2025), I made a huge platter of different cookies to bring to the family. Everything went over well, and I had so much fun making them. I’ve always had a dream in the back of my mind to open my own bakery. At the beginning of this year, I took my first step towards achieving that dream, and started my own at-home bakery business. I named it Neil’s Cookie Jar, in honor of my dad. We lost him to cancer in 2020. He was always one of my biggest supporters, and loved anything that I bake. This was one way for me to honor his memory, and I think I chose the perfect name for the business.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
So far, I do think it has been a pretty smooth road. I got a little overwhelmed at first, taking into account everything that needs to be done to start a business, but I’ve been taking it a step at a time. My first big success was being accepted to vend at the Merriam Farmer’s Market. I was super excited about the opportunity, but as it got closer, I got so nervous and I was afraid that I would fail. The first weekend came, and it was actually very successful and I was so happy. I’m sure there will be other struggles that pop up along the way, but I’m confident that I’ll be able to navigate them.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Currently, Neil’s Cookie Jar is my side business. I do have a full time job that I work Monday-Friday, but I spend a lot of evenings preparing for the farmer’s market and other events each week. I like to say that I have my 9-5 day job, and then I have my 5-9 evening job. Making cookies has really become a passion of mine. I enjoy the dough-making process and the precision that is required. If you add too much or too little of something, or miss an ingredient entirely, it can really throw off your batch. It requires a lot of attention to detail, which is one thing that I’ve always excelled at. Making the dough is fun, but I think baking the cookies is probably my favorite part of the process. Just seeing my hard work come to life and transform into a yummy treat is so satisfying. I especially love the cookies that I have to add a little bit of decoration to, because then I can really focus on making each one visually appealing. I’m really proud of the work I’ve done, just over the last 7 months. I’ve really put a lot of time and effort into making my business successful, and I know I still have a long way to go. One thing that sets me apart is that each cookie is made from a small batch, using higher quality ingredients, and is handmade and inspected by me. They are large, bakery-style cookies, each weighing a minimum of 4 ounces.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think taking risks is an important part of life. If you constantly stay in your comfort-zone, it is hard to grow. Sometimes, the risks don’t pay off. But a lot of times, they do. Either way, it is a learning experience that you can grow from. I have taken a couple of major risks in my life. One was moving back to Kansas to start a new life, and the other was starting this business.
I was born in Leavenworth, Kansas and lived there until I was about 8. My mom met my dad (Neil), and we decided to join him by moving to Virginia. My dad has really played a huge role in my life. Without him, my mom and I probably would’ve stayed in Kansas for all of our life. Moving to Virginia really changed our lives, and we got to experience so much.
A little more backstory, because I’m sure it is confusing that I call my dad, “dad”, but then said that he and my mom didn’t meet until I was 8. I have a biological father, who my mom was married to and they got divorced when I was young. He was a very volatile and abusive man, and I am very glad that my mom was able to get out of that marriage. Even though I have a biological father, I have not considered him a ‘dad’. My ACTUAL dad was Neil, and he showed me what a true father should be. Even though he started out as my stepdad, he actually adopted me soon after he and my mom got married.
All of that being said, I lived in Virginia until I was 26. My husband (fiance at the time) and I decided that Virginia was just a little too expensive for us to comfortably live on our own, so we decided to go back to my roots and start a life in Kansas. That was a big risk for both of us, because that was the first experience of living on our own (for both of us). It was a totally new place, totally new people, and my husband has no family out here. Luckily, most of my family is still local, so we had their support. But, starting a new life in a completely different state was pretty scary for us. It ended up working out, and we’re so happy it did.
My second risk was starting my small business, and I think it was mostly a ‘risk’ to me, because I didn’t think I would be successful. I was afraid that I would fail, I was afraid that I’d get tired of it and give up, and I was afraid that I wasn’t going to be good enough. But, I dove in head first anyways.
Pricing:
- Single cookie: $4.50
- 4-pack: $16.00
- 6-pack: $22.00
- 12-pack: $42.00
- Cookie cakes & special requests: Contact me
Contact Info:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/neilscookiejar
