Levain Bakery facts for kids
Front of New York City store
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| Founded | 1995 in Manhattan, New York City |
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| Founders | Constance McDonald and Pamela Weekes |
| Owners | Constance McDonald and Pamela Weekes |
Levain Bakery, pronounced as (luh-ven), is a popular bakery that first opened in 1995. It is famous for its delicious baked goods, especially its large, thick cookies. The very first store is located at 167 West 74th Street in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.
Over the years, Levain Bakery has grown quite a bit. In June 2000, a second shop opened for the summer season in Wainscott, which is in the Hamptons area of Long Island. A third store later opened in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. In 2017, a fourth store was added close to the original Upper West Side location. Since then, three more shops have opened in New York City: on the Upper East Side, in NoHo, and in Williamsburg.
In 2020, Levain Bakery opened its first store outside of New York, in Georgetown, Washington, D.C.. By 2023, they had also opened a location in the Larchmont area of Los Angeles. As of June 2024, there are seventeen Levain Bakery locations. Nine of these are in the New York City area. There are two stores each in Chicago, Washington D.C., and Boston. You can also find one store in Los Angeles and one in Philadelphia.
History of Levain Bakery
Levain Bakery was started by two friends, Constance McDonald and Pamela Weekes. When they first opened the bakery, their main goal was to sell different kinds of fresh, handmade breads. However, the bakery soon became very well-known for something else: its amazing 6-ounce chocolate chip walnut cookies.
How the Famous Cookies Were Created
Constance McDonald and Pamela Weekes came up with the special cookie recipe while they were training for an Ironman Triathlon. This kind of race is very tough and requires a lot of energy. They realized they needed to eat many calories to keep up with their intense training.
They decided to make a traditional chocolate chip cookie, but much, much bigger. The 6-ounce chocolate chip walnut cookie was perfect for giving them the energy they needed. This large, delicious cookie quickly became the most popular item at their bakery. In fact, it became so famous that many other bakeries tried to make their own versions of it!
Expanding the Business
In 1998, Levain Bakery started sending their cookies through the mail. This meant people from all over could enjoy their treats, even if they didn't live near a store. In 2022, they expanded their services even more. They began offering catering for events and also started nationwide shipping through Doordash. This made it even easier for people across the country to get their hands on these popular cookies.
