CoolSys Controller Makes Sweet Dreams Come True
February 24, 2021
Three years ago, Christi Willey, regional controller at CoolSys, fell in love at a Valentine’s-themed event. The object of her affection, however, wasn’t another person. It was cookie decorating — and it was love at first sight.
It all started when Christi and her mom attended a cookie decorating class with a Valentine’s Day theme. Although her mom was a baker, Christi wasn’t. She just thought it would be a fun way for them to spend time together. Christi had never considered herself a creative person — but that was about to change.
“We sat down, and I was hooked immediately,” Christi says. Right after class, she started buying equipment and became obsessed with learning decorating techniques. Three weeks later, she decorated 300 cookies for co-workers, friends and family.
An Explosion of Creativity
The fire of Christi’s passion for cookie decorating was lit, and her skill grew week by week. Today, her artistic creativity, eye-popping designs and arsenal of techniques rival those of professional bakers. It’s a far cry from Christi’s job at CoolSys, where she manages the finance and accounting team for Commercial & Industrial — but that’s the point. “I get a ton of fulfillment out of my career,” she says, “but cookie decorating is a shift in perspective, a different mindset. It’s a creative outlet for me, and it’s therapy.”
Christi is quick to say, however, that cookie decorating at the level she performs is no light hobby. It is a precise and time-consuming process that can take 10 to 12 hours to produce a dozen decorated cookies. It all starts with her secret weapon: her great-grandma’s vanilla sugar cookie with the magic touch of orange zest — which, Christi says, “gives it so much more flavor.”
Sweet Treats Bring Joy
While she sells her sweet masterpieces in the area where she lives, Christi also makes cookies as gifts and rewards. Friends and family are lucky recipients, as is her six-year-old daughter’s class — Christi sends her to school with cookies instead of paper Valentines. Christi’s cookies were a raffle prize for a CoolSys Cares Program fundraiser, and she made a set for the 2018 leadership conference, with logos for each of the companies in the CoolSys family.
“A big part of what gives me so much joy in making and decorating cookies is the joy it brings to everyone else,” Christi says. “I love to see how excited people are to get my cookies. It’s awesome!”
For more information about Christi’s cookies, visit her Facebook page — Christi’s Cookie Creations.
