Stephanie Tracy used to come down those steps at Josie Woods, every Bears Sunday, with snacks. No, she didn’t go buy some fucking mint Milano’s at the bodega. She brought homemade cookies and cakes and brownies. Why? Because she’s one of the best dessert chefs in the world, according to Because I Said So Magazine. She’s also one of my favorite human beings on the planet.
She received her culinary degree at the Institute of Culinary Education and previously worked professionally as a pastry cook at Gramercy Tavern in New York City. The Cookie Revolution is a cookie-of-the-month club that offers unique cookie varieties every month. Information on the latest cookie offering can be found at www.cookierevolution.com or on Instagram @cookie.revolution. Anyone interested in being added to the monthly email list should send a note to cookierevolution@gmail.com.
DBB: You have a company – The Cookie Revolution – and you produce something called “The Crack Cookie”. It is the greatest cookie I’ve ever had. So who is “The Crack Cookie” when it comes to the Chicago Bears? Who is that player or coach or organization-adjacent individual you just can’t get enough of?
Steph: When I was a kid, that would have been definitely been “Refrigerator” Perry. I know Walter Payton seems like the obvious answer (his nickname is “Sweetness” after all), but, as a 6-7 year old kid during the 1985 season, I was all about The Fridge. I played my 45 of The Super Bowl Shuffle all the time. We even watched he Super Bowl Shuffle video in school. Perry was big and powerful, but also friendly and fun, and I was drawn to that. At the time, I probably had no real understanding of what was happening in the game and The Fridge’s regular role, but I was aware of the awesomeness of his famous touchdown. The team was exciting, and The Fridge encapsulated all of that for me.
As an adult, it is all about Devin Hester. He was so exciting but also unpredictable. You had no idea what he was going to do when he got his hands on the ball, and that’s why you never wanted to miss a Hester return. His movements were so unplanned and erratic that, as a spectator, you would feel such intense anxiety watching him zigging and zagging across the field. Then he would clear the last real defensive threat and that anxiety would turn into exhilaration. He was so amazing and the game was so thrilling when he played!
DBB: We’ve been watching the Bears together in bars for 15 years plus. I’ve thought a lot about what it might be like if we can’t gather in bars and watch this team in the fall. Have you thought about it? What do you think the experience will be like? What would you miss?
Steph: I have definitely thought about it.
