Former FBI analyst follows passion for baking through Just Chippy's in North White Plains
That love of baking started in the kitchen with her grandmother when she was a little girl, but after graduating college at Virginia Tech, it was put on pause for quite a different path.
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From fighting crime to baking cookies, Kendall Feighan has had quite the career shift. The Dutchess County native recently opened Just Chippy's in North White Plains, fulfilling a lifelong dream of hers to become a full-time baker.
"It's an incredible feeling," she said. "I absolutely love what I do, and my mom's saying is, 'Love what you do, and you'll never work a day in your life.' I feel that right now."
That love of baking started in the kitchen with her grandmother when she was a little girl, but after graduating college at Virginia Tech, it was put on pause for quite a different path.
"I went to work full-time with the FBI," Feighan said. "I just realized that that wasn't something I wanted to do long-term. So, I decided to follow the passion I've always had for food and baking, especially cookies."
From there, Feighan moved back to New York from Virginia to enroll in culinary school. After selling more than 60,000 cookies out of her apartment, she finally took the next step and opened Just Chippy's, making sure she paid special tribute to the ones who were there from the beginning.
"Family is super, super important to me," she explained. "The support I've gotten from them has always been, 'Chase your dreams.' That's exactly what I'm doing…So, we have the fun cookie flavors, which are all named after family members. It also creates that sense of community and love. It can remind people of their loved ones as well."
Feighan also made sure to pay extra tribute to a certain loved one: her grandfather, who recently passed away.
"[He's] a huge reason why all of this is possible," she said. "That's why our cookies are kept so simple, but so good."
In addition to naming a cookie after her grandfather, she officially opened Just Chippy's on Jan. 13: his birthday. It was a day where is presence was certainly felt.
"It was so crazy," Feighan recalled. "We sold out of two flavors...His all-time favorite cookie was 'Mom's Peanut Butter and Jelly, and then we sold out 'Spark's Sprinkles' as well, which is the cookie named after him. It was a beautiful day, and the one thing we always would say about my grandfather…was he always showed up. So, to see the community show up was, was incredible...I don't even have words honestly. It was just so cool to see."
Just Chippy's is located at 931 N Broadway in White Plains. Cookies can be bought at the store or online via the shop's website.
