OBI TUARY - BRONX
Rose Florio, Founder of Bronx based Golden Glow Cookies passes away at 92
BY ALEX MITCHELL
One of the borough’s sweetest
who was also responsible
for some of the sweetest treats
to come out of the Bronx has
passed away.
Rose Florio, the owner and
founder of Golden Glow Cookies
at 1844 Givan Avenue died
on Thursday, January 21. She
was 92-years-old.
She began the business in
1954 with her father nearby
to their house on Barnes Avenue,
her son Michael told.
Golden Glow began as a
“real little place” which specialized
in the making of Italian
style cookies at the same
time when the iconic brand,
Stella D’oro also rose in popularity.
Her son also explained that
exclusively doing a line of Italian
cookies at that time was
for the most part unheard of –
so in many ways Golden Glow
became the baking trailblazers
of the Bronx.
As Florio’s bakery rose to
success through the years,
she began making and selling
cookies as far north as upstate
and as south to Philadelphia,
Michael added.
“The business was her life
and she loved being in it,” Michael
said, calling his late
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BRONX TIMES REPORTER, F 2 EB. 19-25, 2021
mother a “sweetheart of a
lady and a good business person.”
Rose Florio was also
known for “giving people opportunities”
especially local
high school kids looking for
work.
“She just gave people a
chance, she never stood in
the way of anybody,” Michael
told, mentioning that he had
also worked under his mother
when he was in college some
years ago.
Even in her fi nal months,
Florio was very active in her
business and would often
work from home, according to
Michael.
In her many years as
Golden Glow’s founder, she
transformed a small cookie
shop into a major, full line
baking enterprise which delivers
to customers throughout
the Bronx and even to
Long Island, also selling to
schools, restaurants, companies,
and caterers.
Florio and Golden Globe
have many times been accoladed
by Bronx organizations
including the Bronx Times
and politicians and have even
been put in the state’s business
hall of fame in Albany,
Michael said, calling these
past years an “amazing ride.”
Right up until Rose Florio
passed, she watched a closed
circuit television of her facility
until her last day.
Courtesy of Michael Florio
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