“People see a picture of my daughter on the cookies and say, ‘Wow, that’s a Black-owned business,’” says Bilal Sabir, founder of Delightful Foods and maker of the No Cookie. “‘They’ve been making this cookie forever, and they had her picture on there even when it wasn’t fashionable.’ Now that it’s fashionable, they’re supporting us even more.”
In recent weeks, there has been an outpouring of recognition and support for Black chefs, farmers, and food community, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement. Bilal takes the surge in attention with ease. For more than 40 years, the Oakland-based Delightful Foods has built a loyal and national following by making moist and delicious vegan cookies and pies that speak for themselves.
“People are now walking into their local health food store and buying our cookies, and saying, ‘These cookies are really good! I should have been buying these cookies all along,” he says.