The Next Great Adventure

One spring morning in 1947 at the age of 23 my mother, then living in Chicago, woke up and decided she was going to move to Colorado. Inspired by a family vacation several years earlier where she was completely taken by the beauty of Colorado, she saved every penny she earned that year and with $1,000 in her pocket she made the move.

This photo was taken in 1948 when she arrived for what would be her First Great Adventure. From that point forward her life would never be the same.

Now looking back over my life, her model of acting on an inspiration has been one of the most important gifts she gave me. One which serves me to this day!

Earlier this year at the age of 91 with her sweet little heart struggling to keep her alive, I asked if she was afraid to die and in perfect form, true to how she lived her life, she answered “No sweetie, it’s my next great adventure.” She passed just a few weeks later.

So today, it’s with this sense of perspective and inspiration that I share her story and this photo of her with you, hoping it too may be an inspiration for you to take the leap into Your Next Adventure.

After naming my first ice cream store in honor of my father whose nickname was “Little Man,” I am lovingly naming my next venture after my mother whose nickname was “Cooie.” Adorable enough to prompt audible cooing when you were able to spend time with her, it’s a fitting namesake.

Sweet Cooie’s Ice Cream and Chocolates is a classically inspired confectionery, true to who my mother was, with all scratch-made treats. However, what’s most fitting to her life is the mission of this new venture. Inspired by the “chutzpah” (guts & courage) she had stepping out all alone as a young single woman in the late 40s, our focus will be to support and empower women, young and old alike, to prepare for their Life’s Adventures!

Like our Scoop for Scoop program at Little Man which provides food assistance both locally and around the world, we too will donate a portion of every scoop of ice cream we sell at Cooie’s to support women’s education here and around the world. Join us in our new adventure, Sweet Cooie’s!

In Gratitude,
Paul Tamburello