Good Eats, Sweet Treats rolling in the dough

Elizabeth Rubenstein’s love of baking has proved to be a recipe for success after having lost her job during the COVID-19 economic shutdown last year.

Her “Good Eats, Sweet Treats” promotional banner and product line of artisan cookies have opened eyes as well as taste buds in La Conner and throughout Skagit Valley this summer.

The new business venture, every bit a mission, is a collaborative effort among partners designed to provide a meaningful career for Rubenstein, who has Down syndrome, while also encouraging others with developmental disabilities to pursue their ambitions.

Thus far, it’s a business model that has attracted customers frequenting La Conner Coffee Co., The Vinery at Christianson’s Nursery, the Anacortes Farmers Market and other area outlets with a constantly changing menu featuring unique and fun flavors – starting, of course, with chocolate peanut butter chip.

“The business idea started during the pandemic shutdown when Elizabeth lost her job,” Rubenstein’s mom, Kim Good Rubenstein, told the Weekly News. “She loves to bake and we brainstormed how we could create a business from her desire to bake and provide sustainable employment for her and possibly others with developmental disabilities who found themselves unemployed during the pandemic.

“We shared this idea with her job coach at Chinook Enterprises, the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation and the Developmental Disability Administration,” she added. “They welcomed the idea and funded the business start-up.”

Good Eats, Sweet Treats formally took shape in March with Elizabeth Rubenstein as president; her sister, Christina Rubenstein, serving as vice-president; caregiver and web media specialist Robyn Burdick installed as secretary; and Kim Good Rubenstein handling treasurer duties.

“Once approved by DVR and DDA,” Good Rubenstein said, “we all spent time on recipe development. Since Elizabeth has a wheat allergy, our goal was to create gluten-free cookies that taste just as good or better than their traditional counterparts.”

Neighbors from Channel Drive provided a vital early role. They pitched in as a tasting focus group.

“That was so we could fine tune our artisan flavor profile,” said Good Rubenstein.

Eventually Good Eats, Sweet Treats developed traditional as well as gluten-free selections, all of which were available for sale last weekend as Rubenstein and company shuffled between the farmer’s market in Anacortes and The Vinery near La Conner.

It truly is a team effort. Burdick and Christina Rubenstein, a graduate of Skagit Valley College and Western Washington University, have employed their artistic skills to develop decorative and informative packaging and a web design for Good Eats, Sweet Treats.

Elizabeth Rubenstein, meanwhile, has long embraced the team concept. She has consistently sought out ways to contribute to the community, pitching in to be part of the Special Olympics, ACT Theater and Aktion Club lineups. She has also fundraised for Meals on Wheels and volunteered for several civic events and projects.

And now she’s excited to have found a way to earn a living through one of her favorite pastimes – baking.

The present game plan is to focus on Rubenstein’s considerable culinary talents and nurture the new skills she wants to acquire. She has already tapped into mentoring from baking professionals, covering areas ranging from setting up a baking operation and navigating a commercial kitchen to promoting and marketing her cookies.

Her present hectic schedule has not kept Rubenstein from projecting into the future, either. Her ultimate goal is an even sweeter dream than running a business. It is having her own brick-and-mortar store.

There is every reason to believe that dream can become a reality.

After all, a little more than a year after losing her job to the pandemic, Elizabeth Rubenstein has already launched a new career that keeps her in plenty of dough.