'Self-Made Mansions': Who are Akiva and Elannah Resnikoff? Meet 'The Cookie Department' duo dominating the healthy food space
If you're big on fitness, then you're no stranger to the idea of a Keto diet. Even if you're not a fitness enthusiast, it is hard to escape the Keto concept, seeing that it has taken the world by storm over the last few years. From books to influencers and YouTube cooking pages that swear by it, Keto promises to help you lose weight while still being able to enjoy all the good things in life — fat and meat.
The diet works on the concept that you eliminate carbohydrates and force your body into burning your fat reserves as opposed to converting carbs into energy. And seeing that its a high fat and zero carb diet, you keep this system going by eliminating carbs entirely.
While this may sound easy enough and delicious, seeing that eating a copious amount of butter, cheese and meat are now acceptable, sticking to the diet is key — because if you fall off, you take your body out of 'ketosis' a state where your body only burns fat. Find good desserts when you're on keto is the ultimate challenge, seeing that sugar and dough are absolute no-nos.
But thankfully, there are brands out there who cater to all your sweet keto needs, such as The Cookie Department. Started by Akiva Resnikoff and managed along with his wife Elannah, The Cookie Department makes keto-friendly cookies that are low in sugar and carbs and big on taste. Turns out, their story is just as heartwarming as their cookies.
The name is an ode to his late grandmother
'The Cookie Department' is a tribute to Resnikoff's late grandmother, who according to him, had a department for everything. In an interview with Oregon Reporters Network, he explained what she meant: “When I asked her where I might find a banana, for instance, she would point to the kitchen and say 'It’s in the banana department, of course'.” So when he was coming up for a brand name, it seemed only natural that "cookies can be found in the cookie department!"
He had his signature cookie before he launched the brand
The Cookie Department's signature cookie, Awaken Baked, is not only its most notable one but also the one that gave Resnikoff the idea to start his brand. Resnikoff was in a coffee shop in 2009 when he realised that people often buy baked goodies to go along with their coffee. It's here that he thought of combining the two, in order to create a caffeinated cookie. Over 60 trials later, he perfected the recipe for Awaken Baked — a double chocolate coffee cookie.
The brand was born out of necessity
His wife, Elannah suffered from severe traumatic brain injuries. She is on a strict diet in order to control brain inflammation and keep her blood sugar in check. Eating keto proved to be the best way to do so, although initially, keto-friendly products were not easily available. Although the market began to grow, there was a general lack of variety and quality.
It's here that Resnikoff realised that not only were his keto cookies far superior but that there was a general lack of products in the low carb, low sugar, keto-friendly dessert/snack space. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he did what he knew best — began baking! As The Cookie Department continues to grow and take on the health food market, the Resnikoffs are ready to get a new, swanky place of their own.
Enter Clinton Kelly, the award-winning host of 'Chew' and 'What Not To Wear'. In this episode of 'Self-Made Mansions', Kelly helps the Resnikoffs pick out a brand new home.
Catch new episodes of 'Self-Made Mansions' every Friday at 8 pm ET/PT on HGTV.