FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 1, 2018 • BUZZ • THE QUEENS COURIER 77
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Baker uses grandma’s recipe to create dessert mashup & build business
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/ @jenna_bagcal
Imagine silky, homemade cheesecake
sandwiched between two freshly baked
cookies. Th at incredible dessert mashup
is what Bayside resident Lisa Cotoggio
has christened as Grandma’s Cheesecake
Sandwiches, a business that was born out
of a desire to be her own boss and escape
sexual harassment in the workplace.
Cotoggio has always been a baker,
recalling her childhood playing with her
beloved EZ Bake Oven and spending
time in the kitchen from a young age. Her
grandmother’s cheesecake recipe came
to mind during the early stages of trying
to come up with a sustainable business.
Th e light and fl uff y dessert was always a
hit with anyone who had the pleasure of
tasting it.
Before making her fi rst foray into starting
a business, Cotoggio had worked in
several industries where she experienced
sexual harassment. She recalled getting
fi red in 1985 by her employer aft er refusing
his sexual advances. She subsequently
took the case to court and won the case
against her former employer.
Whether she worked in hospitality,
sales or the restaurant industry, she
said, sexual harassment would follow.
Th e business owner said that she frequently
switched jobs as a result of the
harassment she faced but adds that she
had always reported these incidents to
higher-ups.
Lisa Cotoggio with Resorts World Catskills staff members, Stephanie Lee and Paula McCorkle
Most recently, she fi led a lawsuit
against Mercedes Benz in Massapequa,
Long Island aft er a coworker had groped
her. Th at incident was the fi nal push she
needed.
“In January I thought, ‘I needed to start
a business.’ I wasn’t gonna put up with
it,” Cotoggio said.
At fi rst, she had the idea to sell her
grandmother’s cheesecakes by the slice
— she tweaked the recipe and asked hundreds
of people to try it. She recalls the
Photo by Ruben Morales
time she encountered a “cheesecake connoisseur”
at the Whitestone Firehouse
who told her that it was some of the best
cheesecake he had ever had.
Eventually, she realized that selling slices
of cheesecake was not practical and
got the idea to stick the creamy confection
between graham crackers, which
later evolved into cookies. Cookie fl avors
include plain, milk chocolate, chocolate
chip and amaretto for the holiday season.
Cotoggio said that she does all of her
baking at Cardinali Bakery in Carle Place.
Th e owner Giuseppe Maura is a friend
who allows her to use the facility and
enlist the help of his employees.
Her intention was to open up a food
truck, but learned that the city had
applications dating back over 10 years
that they still needed to fulfi ll. Instead,
Cotoggio sells the confections at local
grocery stores in eastern Queens including
Empire Market and Benateri’s in
College Point, Varsi Deli in Whitestone,
Marino’s Supermarket in Flushing and
Robert’s Butcher Shop in Bayside.
Her products are also available online
and can ship to the tri-state area. A pack
of six sandwiches costs about $36 plus
shipping and tax.
Last week, the entrepreneur had the
opportunity to work with Resorts World
Catskills, which gave out 1,000 of the
treats to Player’s Club Members aged 55
and older. She said that the company will
also be distributing 1,000 of the cheesecake
sandwiches to “Prime 55” members
on Tuesday, Oct. 30.
Her ultimate goal is to expand her business
and open up her own store. She
shares that she wants to be able to employ
women and make it a safe space for them
to work. Her message to women who
have experienced sexual harassment in
the workplace is “you don’t have to stay.”
“Other women fi nd themselves in situations
that they can’t get out of. But
you don’t have to put up with this stuff ,”
Cotoggio said.
This Queens teenager fi nds success in running a Laurelton party business, writing and art
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
edavenport@qns.com / @QNS
Jamila Th ompson has been a self-starter
since she was 7 years old.
A senior at Lawrence Woodmere
Academy, 17-year-old Th ompson looks
fondly back on the occasion that started it
all for her and her family.
“For my seventh birthday, I wanted to
have a spa party,” recalls Th ompson. “So
my family and I decided to make it happen.”
From this, Th ompson and her family
created Rub A Dub Spa Parties for Kids
Inc. Located at 225-16 Merrick Blvd. in
Laurelton, the company puts on parties
and off ers mini-facials, mini-manicures,
makeup and more.
Th e company aims to encourage girls to
embrace their uniqueness and feel good
about themselves through birthday parties
and other events.
“My party was very successful, and I
wanted another girls to have as much as I
did that day,” said Th ompson.
Aft er launching the business, at 9 years
old Th ompson went on to write her fi rst
book that ultimately set out give girls the
tips they need to get through their tween
years. Th e book, entitled “You Work It
Girl: A Tween’s Guide to Beauty, Fashion
and Other Cool Stuff ,” seeks to empower
young girls by teaching them leadership
skills, money management and more.
Th ompson’s book, which is available for
purchase on Amazon, caught the attention
of several local news publications
such as NY1 and BET’s “Th e Mo-Nique
Show.”
“Th e book goes hand-in-hand with the
spa business,” said Th ompson. “I wanted
to encourage and empower girls and make
them feel confi dent, like they can accomplish
anything. It also covers leadership
skills, bullying, volunteering – everything
that a girl should know at that age.”
As time went on, Th ompson has
switched her focus to art. While Th ompson
had been creating art her whole life, it was
only in the past couple of years that she
realized how much art means to her.
Th ompson’s parents entered some of
her pieces into the Annual Roy Wilkins
Art Exhibit, which has highlighted artists
of all ages and skill levels for the past 16
years. Th ompson has received fi rst place
twice at the exhibit and has sold pieces at
the exhibit as well.
On Oct. 28, Th ompson held an art
show to showcase some of her most
recent works at the Queens Aft er School
and Tutoring center, located at 225-20
Merrick Blvd. in Laurelton.
“Th e show was great. It was more successful
than I thought it would be,” said
Th ompson. “A lot of people came and we
sold a lot of pieces.”
In addition to hosting art shows, running
a business and giving motivational
talks to young girls, Th ompson teaches
chess at the Cambria Heights Library.
Despite her hectic schedule, Th ompson
excels in her schoolwork while staying on
top of her extracurricular activities.
When asked how she manages to fi nd
the time for it all, Th ompson admits that
she’s not sure but she manages it well.
“When you’re doing something that
you love to do, it doesn’t feel like something
that you have to make time for,”
said Th ompson.
Like many high school seniors,
Th ompson is currently looking at colleges
and is excited to join her 2019 graduating
class.
“I’d like to study business; it’s what I’ve
been raised in and what I’ve been doing
for the past 10 years,” said Th ompson.
“I’m really interested in entrepreneurship.”
For more information about Th ompson
and her business, visit www.rubadubparties.
com.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Middleton
/www.rubadubpar-ties.com
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/www.rubadubpar-ties.com
/www.rubadubpar-ties.com
