A signed copy of the Levain Bakery 30th Anniversary book.

It’s amazing what a cookie can do. A really good cookie, that is. It can spark a romance, comfort in time of need, relay gratitude and smooth over a gaffe. It can even bring a community together. In short, a great cookie can be the start of an even greater story. To celebrate our 30th anniversary, the stories of Levain Bakery are weaved together in a beautifully designed, carefully curated book—filled with photographs and custom illustrations. 

Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald are best friends and accomplished bakers who started out baking bread for some of New York City’s favorite restaurants. After stints in the fashion and finance industries in the late 1980s, the two eventually gave up their day jobs to open a small bread shop on West 74th Street. They called it Levain Bakery, borrowing the French word for “leavened bread.” It was 1995, and the small Levain team lovingly baked every loaf, baguette, roll, and cookie by hand every day. Now 30 years later, everything is still made and baked by hand daily, and Pam and Connie have brought the joy of Levain to more neighborhoods and cookie enthusiasts around the country.