Spirit Magazine - September 2013 - (Page 70)

the mixmaster In part, what fueled Amos’ fame was the signage on his first store, and his likeness on each bag. His bold style—even at home, with his son Shawn— didn’t hurt either. “Of the big four, he was definitely the first one in,” says David Liederman, whose David’s Cookies duked it out with Famous Amos, Mrs. Fields, and the Great American Cookie Factory for gourmettreat dominance. With Famous Amos as prototype, the age of Cinnabon and Auntie Anne’s, ad nauseam, had dawned. “It was a budding industry,” Liederman says. “And Wally was a master at getting publicity.” Today, the culinary world is aflame with noisy, outsize, ready-for–prime time personalities like Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, and Rachael Ray. It’s arguable that Wally Amos pioneered this now ubiquitous foodie flamboyance. A tireless promoter and motormouth, he’d do anything to draw attention to his brand, which, within sixteen months of its launch, had expanded to three retail stores and, in a deal that helped turn the 70 spirit september 2013 local phenomenon into a national one, the posh aisles of Bloomingdale’s. Through guest spots on television, countless public appearances, and the Famous Amos packaging itself, the image of a fully bearded Amos in a Panama hat and embroidered, Indian gauze shirt became inseparable from the cookie’s success and made him into one of the quirkiest and most visible cultural icons of the late 20th century. The quirks are still there. This mid-July morning, Amos—at 6’1”, a reed of a man with a puzzling medicine ball of a belly—sits behind the wheel of his Ford Escape with a bath towel tucked into his shirt and draped down across his lap. Cradling a bowl of fresh fruit and yogurt between his legs, he shovels spoonfuls with one hand while steering his way, with the other, to a storage unit on the outskirts of Waikiki. It’s a

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - September 2013

Contents
Gary's Greeting
Gary's Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
The Numbers
Business
Chomp, Chomp
"Are You Famous Amos?"
Health
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products and Services
Flight Service
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards Partners
Route Map
The "If" List

Spirit Magazine - September 2013