Wally Amos
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| Wallace Amos, Jr. | |
| Born | July 1, 1936 Tallahassee, Florida |
|---|---|
Wallace "Wally" Amos, Jr. (born July 1, 1936) is an American actor and writer from Tallahassee, Florida. He is the founder of the "Famous Amos" chocolate chip cookie brand. He later co-founded Uncle Wally's muffins. 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.
[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 him that Amos would develop his chocolate chip cookies recipe. Wally would improve on his aunt's recipe, which was already unusual because it included several ingredients not generally associated with chocolate chip cookies,
Amos later dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Air Force . Amos also became inspired to graduate from high school, and received his high school equivalency diploma before being honorably discharged from the military.
Back in New York City, Amos went to college to become a secretary, and following graduation, he got a 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.
In 1975, a friend suggested that Amos set up a store to sell his cookies, and on March 10 of 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, and has been hired to deliver speeches. He has written thirteen books, many of which have a self-help theme, including Watermelon Magic 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 and, inspired by Amos' story of his early business success with Famous Amos and his indomitable spirit, contacted Amos with the idea for starting a new business. In 1994, the two became partners and subsequently launched "Uncle Noname Gourmet Muffins". 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 Rosica, introduced Wally to Literacy Volunteers of America. From that point forward, Amos has advocated literacy and helped thousands of adults learn to read; in 1987, he also hosted a television series designed to teach others how to read.
[edit] References
- ^ Wally Amos - Leading Authorities Speakers Bureau. Leading Authorities. Retrieved on 2007-10-30.
