Wally Amos
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Wallace "Wally" Amos Jr. (born 1936) is an entrepreneur, actor and writer from Tallahassee, Florida. He is the founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand. He is currently married to his wife of 30 years, Christine, and resides in Kailua, Hawaii where he runs the Chip & Cookie gourmet cookie brand and store. He has three sons and one daughter; Michael, 48, lives in Washington, DC. Gregory, 45, lives in Lancaster, PA, Shawn, 39, Lives in Los Angeles, Sarah, 24, lives in New York.
[edit] Biography
Wally Amos lived in Tallahassee, Florida until he was twelve. He then moved to Manhattan, New York with his aunt, where he enrolled at the Food Trades Vocational High School. Amos showed interest in cooking from a very young age, and it was from his aunt, who would bake cookies for for him and his dog, Rufus, that Amos would develop his chocolate chip cookies recipe. Wally would improve on his aunt's recipe, which was already unique because it included several ingredients not generally associated with chocolate chip cookies, by adding a teaspoon of nutmeg.
Amos later dropped out of school to join the U.S. Air Force (Amos had hoped to join the Marine Corps, but they decided that he was unlikely to pass the basic training requirements). While with the Air Force, Amos was punished for misbehaviour by making cookies in the kitchen. Amos also became inspired to graduate from high school, and received his high school equivalency diploma before being honourably discharged from the military.
Back in New York, Amos went to college to become a secretary, and following graduation, he got clerical job with the William Morris Agency. Eventually, Amos would become the agency's first African American talent agent. Amos attracted clients by sending them chocolate chip cookies along with an invitation to visit him, and would eventually represent superstars; Diana Ross & the Supremes, Simon & Garfunkel, Marvin Gaye, and various other child stars, teen idols and movie stars.
In 1975, a friend suggested that Amos should set up a store to sell the cookies, which he baked himself based on his aunt's recipe. That year, the first "Famous Amos" cookie store opened in Los Angeles, California. The new company began to expand, and, eventually, "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookies could be found on supermarket shelves across the United States. Thanks in part to the success of his cookie company, Amos went on to have guest star spots on a number of sitcoms, and has been hired to deliver speeches. He has written thirteen books, many of which have a self-help theme, including Watermelon Magic: Seeds of Wisdom, Slices of Life, The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched a Thousand Chips andThe Power in You written with his son Gregory.
Due to financial troubles, Amos was forced to sell the Famous Amos company, and as the name "Famous Amos" was trademarked by his former company, Amos then started "The Uncle Noname's Cookie Company".[1] A Famous Amos distributor at the time, Lou Avignone, heard Amos on a local radio talk show. Inspired by Amos' story of his early business success with Famous Amos and his indomitable spirit, Avignone contacted him with the idea for starting a new business. In 1994, the two became partners and subsequently launched Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffins. With America's tastes shifting towards healthier foods, the company focused on fat-free, nutritious muffins at that time. Uncle Noname ultimately became Uncle Wally's Muffin Company in 1999. The muffins are sold in more than 3,500 stores nationwide.
In 1979, Amos's long-time friend and publicist, John, introduced Wally to Literacy Volunteers of America. From that point forward, Amos has advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read.
