Santa Fe Cookie Co. Customers Can Say Goodbye to the Cookie Lady on July 17

Debbie Kuehn may not be the most recognizable name in the Denver culinary world, but everyone who lives or works downtown knows "the Cookie Lady," who ran the Santa Fe Cookie Co. on the 16th Street Mall since 2008 and for years before that behind Duffy's Shamrock and on the...

By Mark Antonation

July 15, 2017

What happens on the ground matters — Your support makes it possible.

We’re aiming to raise $17,000 by August 10, so we can deepen our reporting on the critical stories unfolding right now: grassroots protests, immigration, politics and more.

Contribute Now

Progress to goal

$17,000

$1,500

Audio By Carbonatix

[
          {
            "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
            "component": "23668565",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "STN Player - Float - Mobile Only ",
            "component": "23853568",
            "insertPoint": "2",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
          },{
            "name": "Editor Picks",
            "component": "17242653",
            "insertPoint": "4",
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18838239",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - 2x Rectangles Desktop, Tower on Mobile - Labeled",
            "component": "24956856",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 8,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
            "maxInsertions": 25 
          
          },{
            "name": "Inline Links",
            "component": "18838239",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          },{
            "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
            "component": "17676724",
            "insertPoint": "8th",
            "startingPoint": 12,
            "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
            "maxInsertions": 25
          }
        ]

Debbie Kuehn may not be the most recognizable name in the Denver culinary world, but everyone who lives or works downtown knows of "the Cookie Lady," who'd run the Santa Fe Cookie Co. on the 16th Street Mall since 2008, and for years before that behind Duffy's Shamrock and on the Auraria campus (going back to 1985). Kuehn passed away on June 29 after a battle with brain cancer; she was the owner and driving force behind the little bakery at Republic Plaza, so the place is now closed.

But for those who wish to honor the memory of the Cookie Lady, Kuehn's family members will fire up the ovens one last time this Monday, July 17, and give away cookies until they're gone.

Kuehn was known for her honor-system service model as well as for her delicious baked goods. Instead of standing in line at a cash register, customers simply dropped their money into a jug and grabbed their bag of cookies — three for a dollar. When Westword's Chris Utterback interviewed Kuehn in 2015, she told him that the honor system worked and that people were overwhelmingly honest, even when she was in the back of the shop with no one watching over the counter. "If someone steals a cookie? From the Cookie Lady? There would be karmic trouble," she joked.

Come by at 10 a.m. on Monday; the jug will be there as usual on the counter, and anything you decide to drop in will be donated to Colorado Public Radio and Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue.

Mark Antonation is the former Westword Food & Drink Editor. In 2018, he was named Outstanding Media Professional by the Colorado Restaurant Association; he's now with the Colorado Restaurant Foundation.

A message from Food & Drink Editor Molly Martin: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Denver’s evolving dining scene and the latest culinary innovations our community offers.

Support Today