As Cookies & Corks' co-founder and Chief Baker, Leah Kuo is responsible for developing and testing the company's recipes and carefully selecting ingredients that make each batch of Cookies & Corks products. With the help of the company's Wine Advisor, Leah works tirelessly to create cookies that are the perfect companions to red, white and sparkling wines. This challenge is no easy task considering each cookie has to have exactly the right flavor combinations to complement the hints, notes and subtle flavors of each wine. Each batch of all natural, preservative-free cookies is made with high-quality ingredients and is to be enjoyed from the first bite to the last crumb.

Leah's culinary education began several years ago at the Cooking & Hospitality Institute of Chicago where she specialized in Pastry Arts. After a diverse corporate career in Washington D.C., Leah recently returned to her baking roots. It wasn't before long that she met her business partner Laura Englander and her baking dreams became a reality with Cookies & Corks.

Like an Apricot Sage cookie with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc, Laura's business skills are the perfect complement to Leah's baking talents. Laura's diverse career has given her the professional skills to utilize as co-founder and VP of Sales & Marketing at Cookies & Corks where she focuses on product concepts, managing retailers, cultivating relationships with culinary and wine experts, as well as elevating the Cookies & Corks brand.

Laura took off her corporate hat and put on her creative apron to launch Cookies & Corks after having an extensive career in sales and marketing. After many years of business travel and corporate life, Laura decided to dedicate more time to her family and tap into a more creative field. In 2009, Laura developed a business idea after pairing her two loves – cookies and wine – into one delightful package that's now called Cookies & Corks.

Leah and Laura met Amy Reiley at the 2010 NASFT Fancy Food Show in San Francisco where she named Cookies & Corks as her show favorite. They began communicating with her without truly knowing the extent of her expertise, and were delighted to discover just how perfect her palate was for Cookies & Corks. A partnership was formed, and the cookie and wine pairings were to never be the same.

Amy is the mastermind behind the Cookies & Corks extensive cookie and wine-pairing matrix. Her selections aim to provide the optimal pairing experience covering both well-known wine varietals as well as lesser-known types. She is formally educated in wine, yet adventurous which shows in the combinations she concocted like buttery Shortbread with a nice Northern California Zinfandel. Amy's exclusive culinary knowledge provides invaluable un-biased feedback on the taste, texture, and palatability of our cookie line-up.

Amy is one of the foremost-educated women in food and wine. In August 2004, she became the second American to earn the title Master of Gastronomy awarded by France's culinary temple, Le Cordon Bleu. She is also the author of Fork Me, Spoon Me; The Sensual Cookbook; Amy Reiley's Pocket Vineyard; Amy Reiley's Pocket Gourmet; Chile Aphrodisia; and most recently, she released a new book, The Love Diet with co-author Juan-Carlos Cruz in June 2010.