Meet Jonah Kramer | Owner & Baker of Whisk & Roll Cookie Shop

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jonah Kramer and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jonah, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process was simple; I wanted to create a product that had all the amazing qualities of a great cookie but without all the unnecessary additives and preservatives found in your everyday cookie. After graduating culinary school, I had all the necessary tools to succeed in the kitchen but I could not find a business that had all the qualities I wanted in a business so after lots of intense discussions with family and entrepreneurs, I decided that the best course of action was to start my own company!

I spent months meticulously crafting my recipe, going through kilo after kilo of flour, butter, sugar, etc. before finally landing on the perfect ratio and after that, the flavor combinations and pairings kept coming!

I now have over 30 tried and true regular cookie recipes, 20 vegan cookies, 20 gluten free cookies, and 10 paleo/keto options because good cookies should be accessible to EVERYONE, regardless of dietary restrictions.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My ability to excel in the kitchen is all thanks to the staff at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE). During my time at ICE, I learned essential cooking and baking techniques crucial for the culinary field and service industry. These skills have strengthened my speed in the kitchen, my ability to assess recipes, make necessary substitutions or changes, and my knowledge of kitchen equipment. I graduated with highest honors from the baking and patisserie class, logging over 600 hands-on learning hours in the kitchen with a variety of licensed professionals. Alongside my baking and patisserie diploma, I also graduated from ICE’s artisan bread baking course, gaining over 200 hours of kitchen experience.

The teachers at ICE taught me everything I needed to know about every facet of the baking world. I am especially grateful to two teachers in particular: Chef Robert Bordwell and Chef Carrie Smith. I had chef smith a multitude of different times throughout my pastry course and I built a fairly strong relationship with her. I was dubbed her “paparazzi” due to all of the photos I took of her demonstrations and her passion for the art was truly infectious. During both my artisan bread course and my pastry course, I had chef bordwell a multitude of times and he made a very good impression on me and my group of friends from the get go. I was able to confide in him on issues I was having, and I loved brining in Starbucks to fuel our 5PM – 10PM bread course.

Without these chefs and without the school as a whole, I would not be where I am today, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My itinerary would definitely be jam-packed! One of my favorite sushi omakase’s in all of Los Angeles is at a restaurant called n/aka. It is such a unique experience and its carefully crafted menu is made by the number one female sushi chefs in the world. Her promise to every patron is “you will never get the same dish twice unless you request it”.

In porter ranch, there is a hidden gem of a restaurant called Mediterranean bistro. I’ve been eating there since I was a little kid, and the food has never gone down in quality. If you like fresh, delicious, and authentic mediterranean food, then there’s your restaurant!

Although basic, my favorite beach town to hang out in is Santa Barbara! I have always loved Santa Barbara for its unique atmosphere and amazing weather. While we’re talking about beaches, my favorite beach is called staircase beach! Right next to Leo Carrillo, staircase beach is almost never crowded and is always a crowd favorite for surfing.

One of my all time favorite places to go is Catalina Island. Catalina has always reminded me of small coastal Italian city and the trip to Catalina is so short and so rewarding! Every time I take the ferry, I almost always see dolphins passing next to the boat and once on Catalina, you can walk everywhere and explore as you wish! There’s also a pretty decent selection of bars to go to that overlook the harbor.

When in Los Angeles, you can’t come and not go to the Hollywood bowl. The Hollywood Bowl is such a unique experience and the shows that play there are often shows you cannot see anywhere else. My favorite show to see yearly is the John Williams Maestro of Movies show! John Williams himself conducts a variety of pieces all from the movies he’s created soundtracks for and it truly is such an amazing experience.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The person I want to shoutout is my grandfather. He came from nothing and had one goal in mind: to provide a life for his future children and his future grandchildren. As I began my journey to start my business, I turned to him with every question I had. He taught me cost control and how to ensure I maximize profit without compromising the cornerstone of my product; the quality. My grandfather passed away suddenly on April 16th, 2024, and I am truly and utterly heartbroken. That being said, the void left from his absence drives me to succeed. He was the most honest man I’ve ever known, always critiquing my creations from a customer’s point of view with no bias. He’s the reason I have so many staple flavors in my business. Unfortunately, he was not able to see this article and how much I truly loved and cherished his wisdom, regardless of how much I told him. I hope he knows how much I love and miss him and I hope he knows that my success is a byproduct of his support.

I love you, Grandpa. Miss you always

Website: https://bakesy.shop/b/whisk-roll-cookie-shop

Instagram: Whiskrollcookieshop

Other: Tiktok – whiskrollcookieshop

Image Credits
Stanley Kramer (grandfather), Douglas Kramer (father), Jonah Kramer (myself)