WHEAT RIDGE, Colo. — At a family-owned counter service eatery specializing in Italian treats, the cooks don't rely on mass production to make pizzelles, the traditional Italian waffle cookies made using a specialized iron that imprints decorative patterns to give them their unique look.
For Joeylyn Corder and her big brother George, that labor starts at 5 a.m., day in and day out. This is their life, every single day.
In all, Corder said she can make 900 pizzelles in a day, but at Grammy’s Goodies, such Italian treats aren't mass produced. Instead, she said she's learned to run six of the specialized irons at the same time — by hand.
"Yeah, it's a lot. I get into a rhythm and have a system. I get to think of my great grandmother the whole time,” she said.
It’s a tricky system. If they get too hot, the cookies will stick. If not perfectly timed, then they’ll be different colors.
“So I like peace in the morning to be able to focus on this,” Corder said.
She does this intensive labor every day because of her great grandmother, telling Denver7 her love for making pizzelles started early on. As a child, she said she'd sometimes miss school in order to make the waffle cookies with her Nana.
Everything about her is mixed in the pizzelles.
In 2015, Corder, her brother George, and the rest of the family opened Grammy’s Goodies on Harlan Street in Wheat Ridge.
Two weeks later, her Nana died. She was 91 years old but got to see her recipes become famous within the community before she passed.
While her brother George is named after her great grandfather, you'd be surprised to know Corder isn't named after her grandmother.
“You know, I asked that question to my mom. She said she thought it would look good on a cheerleading skirt," Corder said. "I’m not named after anyone. I don’t have a middle name.”
But despite not being named after her Nana, Corder has made a name for herself at Grammy’s Goodies.
If you'd like to try what she calls the home of the biggest slices and the best homemade Italian food and baked goods in Denver, head to 4601 N. Harlan St. in Wheat Ridge.
