Today we’d like to introduce you to Samantha Jones.
Hi Samantha, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our story begins with a dream of a sustainable farm and animal rescue. After 20 years as a chef training both overseas and in the U.S., I developed a passion for farm-to-table cuisine and the importance of knowing the source and benefits of our food. Throughout my career, I have owned restaurants and worked for high-end establishments and Autograph Collection hotels, cultivating a signature style of European-inspired, farm-to-table fare. My goal is to create more than just a meal; I want my food and pastries to evoke a lasting feeling or memory.
After years of the high-stress environment and long hours required of an Executive Chef, my husband, Dave, and I decided to reevaluate our lives. We focused on what truly brought us happiness: gardening, healthy eating, small group entertaining, and, most importantly, animals. From this realization, Green Cottage Farm Stay & Foods and The Cookie Cottage were born.
We started small by converting a cottage on our property into a private guest house and began cultivating flower beds, pumpkin patches, and a potager garden. I also began building animal shelters and barns using recycled materials and antique furniture. I have been known to send my poor husband all over KC to pick up what he considers junk! My husband has since learned to embrace my creative process, even when I bring home old pallets, furniture or iron racks to transform into unique goat feeders, and a complete recycled wood barn!
To build our farm sustainably after I left my executive role, we partnered with rescue groups. What began with a small herd of goats and a few chickens has grown into a sanctuary for 185 animals, including rescued bottle baby goats and neglected pigs, bunnies, and turkeys. Nursing these animals back to health has been a rewarding adventure and a vital part of our farm stay experience. The animals also benefit our substantial gardens and bee & butterfly sanctuaries with utilizing their beneficial fertilizer. Everything we do here on Green Cottage Farm is full circle. The gardens, eggs, and goat milk feed us, supply are commercial kitchens and feed the animals a well-balanced diet. They especially love fall when the pumpkin patch is in full of their favorite treat!
To support the farm, we built an on-site commercial kitchen and launched The Cookie Cottage. We offer artisanal decorated sugar cookies and pastries by appointment, online, and at vendor events with our mobile cottage. I love turning a client’s vision into edible art for their special events.
The Green Cottage Farm Stay continues to expand. Guests can enjoy our sprawling gardens, woodland walking trails, and animal interactions. This year, we added a large greenhouse for yoga, reading, or trying your hand at seedling transplanting or flower pressing. We also offer a private chef experience for guests when booked in advance.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our primary challenge has been increasing brand awareness for our cookies and pastry orders, which support the daily care and costs for our rescue farm animals.
While a strong social media presence is essential in today’s market, it has never been our preferred style. We value face-to-face interactions where we can engage in two-sided conversations and share genuine experiences with our customers or farm stay guests. You can’t smell a cookie or hug a baby goat online! I guess you can say we are old school!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
At The Cookie Cottage, we specialize in artisanal, organic, and scratch-made decorated sugar cookies. Utilizing our artistic expertise and 3D printing technology for custom cookie cutter shapes, we can bring any design you imagine to life.
While we ship our cookies nationwide, we also take pride in providing high-quality European-style pastries and custom cakes to the Kansas City metro area. We remain dedicated to traditional French baking techniques, offering everything from meticulously crafted pain au chocolat and delicate entremets to custom birthday cakes.
What sets us apart from other cookie bakeries or artist is that our cookies are for a cause. We use organic processes, and I am a fully trained chef with years of experience. We pride ourselves in being able to offer that personalized one on one conversation to create your design, and not just a rushed pass through a shop.
We do this to support our overall passion of the farm and bringing joy to others. There is not enough joy in the world now especially. If we can offer a moment of happiness through a cookie, a meal, or a farm experience or even a moment of solitude or peace sitting in the middle of our gardens and just watching the butterflies, that makes our lives more fulfilled.
We love surprises, fun facts and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
One thing many people may not know about our family, and something I am incredibly proud of, is my husband’s deep commitment to the community. He has been a first responder for 18 years and is a career soldier with four deployments. Throughout all of this, he has never viewed his service as a burden or expressed any regrets. He often focuses on supporting my career as a chef rather than highlighting his own accomplishments, but he truly is the heart of our farm—whether he is bottle-feeding baby goats or keeping a piglet warm in his coat while finishing chores.
From an artistic perspective, we are equally proud of the opportunities we have had to create cookies for the Natural History Museum in New York, as well as several other prestigious museums and high-profile events. It is always a thrill to see our work in such notable venues and to reflect on how far we have come.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cookiecottagekc.com and www.greencottagefarm.com
- Instagram: @cookiecottagekc
