Danielle Tubbs comes from a long line of "Jamaican cake ladies."
Every holiday season, her mother, aunt and grandmother would get together to make traditional Jamaican cakes in their hometown of Miami.
"I was forced to help them," Tubbs joked.
That time spent baking in the kitchen led Tubbs to launch Tubby’s Taste, a vegan cookie company she founded in 2014 after moving to Chicago.
With years of baking experience behind her, Tubbs set out to create a cookie brand that was vegan friendly and inspired by her family's roots. After working on the company part time for several years, the pandemic led her to dive into Tubby's Taste full time in 2020.
Named after Tubb's nickname in college, Tubby's Taste offers flavors like Caribbean Punch — which includes ingredients such as grapefruit, pineapple and hibiscus — and Home Sweet Home, made with coconut, mango and lime.
Centered around bold fruit flavors, the startup aims to stand out in the crowded cookie market.
"You can get a chocolate chip cookie anywhere," said Tubbs, who makes the cookies out of kitchen space in The Hatchery, an incubator and production facility for food startups in Chicago.
Being a vegan brand was also important to Tubbs, who said she wanted to make her cookies as inclusive as possible.
"It's all about the flavors," she said. "I don't think you need butter or eggs to make the flavors stand out more."
Tubby’s Taste sells its products on its website and at farmer's markets, as well as at Urban Market in River West. Tubbs said she's aiming to bring the brand to more retail stores this year and hire more employees.
