Vegan cookie company extraordinaire Om Nom Nom is ready to go global with the launch of an official website, and to celebrate, it's throwing a party tomorrow, Saturday, at Panther Coffee in Wynwood.
Anthea Ponsetti from Om Nom Nom and Illeana Cardenas from Panther are cohosting the event, which will run concurrently with the monthly Wynwood Art Walk. It begins at 6 p.m., but from 5 to 6, there will be free cookies and coffee pairings. T-shirts, pins, and other swag also will be given away, and Awarehouse DJs will be on hand to lay down some music while you make like Cookie Monster and nom-nom on free vegan cookies.
With the website, customers can browse cookies through a user-friendly online store; read a blog about music, art, fashion and cookie news; and peruse a "cookie finder" providing them easy access to vendor information.
"Besides the ultimate cookie experience on the Internet, the core of the website will really be the blog," Ponsetti says.
Writers will be allowed to contribute to the blog with posts about music, food, photography, and, of course, cookies. "Really, the most important part will be the community and interactive aspect of it all."
Om Nom Nom has been relatively successful without a website, but Ponsetti says she is ready to take it to the next step. The website will tie into their social networking presence through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram and will streamline email and phone orders. The vegan cookie company has grown rapidly in five months to the point that operating without a website was becoming inefficient.
Ponsetti gravitated to Panther Coffee for the party because she is a fan of the coffee and it was one of the first places to sell their cookies. Plus the coffeehouse see a lot of traffic during Wynwood Art Walk.
The cookie samplings include peanut butter, cranberry-walnut oatmeal, spicy Mexican snickerdoodle, chocolate snickerdoodle, chocolate chip, and orange-zest chocolate chip. In the near future, Ponsetti plans to proffer gluten-free cookies.
To enter the giveaway contest, guests must opt-in to Om Nom Nom's newsletter, which they can do at the event. If the turnout is large enough, Ponsetti might be extra-generous with free cookie samplings.
"The website has come from a clear demand for a streamlined experience," she says,"and it's a great feeling knowing that we've reached that point."
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