December – 2014 – Cocktail Hour with Josh Cohen

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ABOUT THE DRINK

Brownie Brittle MarTito’s Cocktail

2 ounces Tito’s Handmade Vodka

1 ounce Kahlua

1 ounce espresso

Shaken on fresh ice, strained into crushed Brownie Brittle coated rim martini glass

WHO: CEO and creator of “Sheila G.’s Brownie Brittle” Sheila G. Mains

WHAT: The Brownie Brittle MarTito Cocktail, paired with watermelon and feta salad with basil, mint and jalapeño vinegar; Moroccan chicken wings with yogurt dip; warm chickpeas with hummus; and charred eggplant dip

WHERE: Stir Bar & Terrace at Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa | 100 S. Ocean Blvd., Manalapan | 561.533.6000 | eaupalmbeach.com

1) The original idea for Brownie Brittle happened while: I was a still a brownie baker. I would take the drippings that fell onto the sheet pans and snack on them after they cooled. It became my go-to snack. But when the whole bakery started eating them, I knew we were on to something.

2) The celebrity I was shocked to learn is a huge fan of Brownie Brittle is: Bradley Cooper. The first movie premiere party we did was for “Silver Linings Playbook,” and at the after-party he and I took a picture they used for the front page of the style section of The Wall Street Journal. Also, I still listen to the voicemail on my phone from Quincy Jones. He gives away Brownie Brittle for the holidays. And of course Oprah, who gave me a big hug.

3) I first knew I had captured lightning in a bottle with this idea: from the very beginning. I just absolutely knew that as soon as it hit, it would just explode. I sold everything I owned with the exception of my car just to keep it going. At the time, all of my friends and family thought that I had lost my mind. But they don’t think that anymore. There are more than 20 million bags on store shelves today.

4) The fact that Brownie Brittle is a Palm Beach County company, founded by a woman means: that it gives me the opportunity to be a role model to other women who are business leaders. It’s also my privilege to give back to the community where I raised my own children. We’re so proud of our work with The Kid’s Community Closet at the Roosevelt School and the Palm Beach County Food Bank, just to name a few.

5) Having my snacks at the parties for the Oscars and the Golden Globes is: exhilarating; just so very exciting. It simply puts the brand on a whole new level. It’s a very unique product and now it’s a red carpet snack, and honestly, it’s deserving to be there.

6) Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is especially important to me because: I lost my stepson Scott to Ewing’s sarcoma, a pediatric cancer he contracted in his 30s. Less than 4 percent of all funds raised for cancer research go toward children’s cancers. It’s almost criminal. The day we called hospice for Scott was the same day I was first contacted about helping out a big Cookies for Kids’ Cancer bake sale. I don’t believe in coincidences.

Once a commercial brownie baker, Sheila G. Mains would go on to supply brownies to Walt Disney World before launching her Brownie Brittle creation in 2011. In 2012 she received “Best New Snack Product” at the National Confectionery Sales Association Awards. Brownie Brittle currently partners with The Weinstein Company to provide snacks at their movie premieres, as well as at events for the Golden Globes and the Oscars. Active in numerous local children’s charities and causes in South Florida, Sheila and her family reside in Palm Beach Gardens.

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