Meet Sarah Davis & Qudduws Ware

We were lucky to catch up with Sarah Davis and Qudduws Ware recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sarah and Qudduws, thank you so much for joining us and offering your lessons and wisdom for our readers. One of the things we most admire about you is your generosity and so we’d love if you could talk to us about where you think your generosity comes from.

For us, as husband-and-wife co-founders of Crisp & Chew, generosity has always been less about grand gestures and more about how we show up—for our people, our community, and each other.

We come from families that didn’t always have a lot, but what they had, they shared. Whether it was food, time, or presence, there was always this unspoken belief: if you have enough, you have enough to give. That stuck with us and we implement it in everything we do at Crisp & Chew.

In business, that’s looked like dropping off cookies to teachers, firefighters, or just sharing cookies with folks who needed a lift that day. It’s why we started our cookie donation program, “Batch of Thanks,” to use what we make to say, “We see you. You matter.” It’s not a marketing thing. It’s a human thing.

We also try to be generous with grace, especially with each other. As partners in life and in business, there are moments where the best gift we can give each other is space, patience, or a second try.

At the heart of it, we believe generosity creates momentum. When you pour into others, it always finds its way back to you, just not always in the way you expect. And honestly, we’re okay with that.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

We’re co-owners of a couple of businesses, including Crisp & Chew, a gourmet Oatmeal Cookie company built on one simple idea: elevate the humble oatmeal cookie. It started after my husband expressed dismay that he could not find a good oatmeal cookie locally. We quickly realized how overlooked oatmeal cookies are in the cookie world, so I set out to perfect my husband’s favorite treat. My goal was to make it balanced in flavor, crispy on the outside, and chewy in the middle. I developed a recipe and shared it with friends and family. They were such a hit with everyone that a close friend and colleague encouraged me to sell them. The rest is history!

But Crisp & Chew is more than just cookies; it’s part of our ongoing journey as artists. It’s edible art! It is our way of connecting with people, sparking joy, and building community. We’ve always expressed ourselves through creative work. I have an art and fashion background, and Qudduws is a seasoned producer and musician with a long history in the industry, including a recently reissued album solely produced by his cousin, the legendary J Dilla. Together, we also run Louis Cobo, a clothing brand that blends storytelling, design, and movement. Crisp & Chew is another extension of that same creative spirit, given how we take a novel approach to Oatmeal Cookies and with a gourmet twist. Recent customer favorites have been our Lemon Raspberry flavor and our June collaboration with an amazing local artisan, Tina from Crafted Caramels, which resulted in an amazing flavor: Bourbon Caramel Chocolate Pretzel. Each cookie is handcrafted with premium ingredients and a whole lot of heart.

What makes Crisp & Chew special, beyond the flavors, is the feeling. Whether it’s a farmer’s market customer who tries one and instantly lights up, or delivering a box to an individual or organization that serves the community, there’s something powerful about showing up for people with something lovingly made by hand. To us, this is exciting, and it drives us forward.

Right now, we’re in the middle of an intense growth season. We’ve expanded into multiple farmers markets in the Austin area, partnered with local pickup spots, and we’ve added new members to our team to keep up with the demand (and the ideas we keep dreaming up).

At the end of the day, this is about more than cookies. It’s about creating something that makes people feel good, and that’s always been the art we’re most interested in.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, the three qualities that have made the biggest impact on our journey as entrepreneurs are resourcefulness, creative confidence, and staying rooted in purpose.

Resourcefulness is what kept us moving, especially in the early days when we had more ideas than resources. We’ve worn every hat, baker, brander, designer, and delivery driver, and we’ve had to figure things out on the fly. If something didn’t exist, we built it or found a workaround. The truth is, most of what we know now was learned in motion.

Creative confidence has been key. As artists, we’ve always trusted our instincts, but turning that into a business meant believing that what we had to offer—whether it was a cookie or a song — deserved to take up space. It’s easy to second-guess yourself when you’re building something from scratch, but we learned to bet on our taste and vision.

Staying rooted in purpose keeps us grounded. There are easier ways to make money. But we’re in this to make things that feel intentional—whether it’s a cookie that makes you smile or a moment with a customer that makes someone feel seen. That purpose is what helps us push through the hard days and keeps the work meaningful.

Advice for anyone early in the journey? Start where you are, with what you have. Don’t wait to feel “ready”…you get ready by doing. Protect your vision, but stay flexible in your methods. And most of all, lead with what feels honest to you. People can tell when it’s real, and that’s what they’ll connect with.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Absolutely! We love collaborating, especially with folks who share our values around creativity, quality, and community.

Whether you’re a local maker, small business, artist, or someone with a fresh idea that intersects with food or storytelling, we’re always open to finding ways to build something meaningful together. Some of our favorite moments have come from teaming up with other creatives, like our recent flavor collab with Crafted Caramel. It’s about amplifying each other’s work and creating something that sparks joy. We can’t wait to collaborate more with others in our community.

We’re also excited about continuing to connect with people who work in wellness, hospitality, or events—anyone who sees cookies as more than a simple dessert and wants to create an experience.

If you’re reading this and thinking, “We should do something together….you’re probably right!
You can reach us through crispandchew.com, email us at hello@crispnchew.com, or find us on Instagram @crispandchew – shoot us a message…Let’s dream something up together!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.crispnchew.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crispnchew/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crispnchew