Whisked Away

By Anna Grace Moore
Photos by Untold Imagery

Fluent in the language of pastry arts, Al Ruffino’s talent is evident in every bite of his cherished, Italian cookies. A tango between sweet and salty, his cookies’ flavors yield a mouthful of sensation that’s rich not just in spice, but also in memories.

The pastry chef’s history dates back to when his family lived in Sicily and immigrated to the U.S. Recipes–thus a love for the relationships that food bridges–transcended generations and found themselves coming to fruition in the Ruffino family kitchen.

Growing up in both New Orleans and Bessemer, Al recalls baking with his mother, grandmother and many, many aunts over the weekends and on holidays. Weddings, funerals, birthdays, anniversaries–they were all momentous occasions of which people could expect at least one thing: cookies.

“My aunts and my grandmother gave me the love for cooking,” Al says. “I used to watch them prepare meals for St. Joseph’s Altar, weddings, funerals.”

Upon reaching the milestone of 18, Al attended Bessemer State Technical College, where he received his associates in food services. Despite being raised in a family of chefs, Al knew this was not going to be the trajectory of his life’s course.

Instead, he began working in the hotel industry and earned an apprenticeship with the Culinary Institute of America program in Houston, Texas. Al made the cross-country trek to the Lone Star State and completed his training in pastry arts; thus, answering his call to “create.”

“I had a chef tell me once, ‘You cannot learn everything there is to know about pastry unless you work under many different people,’” he says. “‘They won’t teach you that in school. They teach you the basics, and you have to make yourself successful.’”

Off went this aspiring patissier on a journey across the country, juggling two sometimes three jobs at a time–all in the name of learning. As fate would have it, Al wound back up in the “foodie city,” working for several big dogs in the industry.

Al’s recipes made the print in numerous, high-profile restaurants in town, but he never took credit. In 2020, he jumped over the hump of retirement, and unsurprisingly, went back to work baking cookies for friends and family during the holiday season.

Family members, friends and flavor fanatics flocked to purchase some of Al’s homemade delights, prompting his now business partner and friend, Chris Clinner, to inquire why Al never went into business for himself.

“Chris goes, ‘You’ve made all these other people successful. It’s time to make you successful. Why don’t we go into the cookie business?’”

The following month, Al, Chris and Jay Ewing–Al’s partner–went into business together, creating The Italian Cookie Company in January 2023. Since its inception, The Italian Cookie Company has grown from Al’s kitchen to a commissary in Alabaster, churning out around 25,000 cookies every week.

Word soon spread like wildfire as customers–many of them retailers themselves–started buying in bulk for Christmas gifts, weddings and more. Today, The Italian Cookie Company has 12 different cookies on the menu, and 14 different Alabama stores sell its products, too.

Not only is every cookie made-from-scratch, but many of the ingredients are locally sourced. Even better, each recipe is one passed down through Al’s family, and some come with a twist: customer recommendations.

“When we started going to the markets, we realized there were a lot of Italians in the area that didn’t have access to what we do,” Chris says. “We had a lot of people excited about what we were doing. They wanted to share their recipes with us and their versions of the cookies. That’s how we started growing. They would share their family stuff–what they like about the Italian cookies. We would learn how they do them, what they like and develop the next cookie we’d come out with.”

The Cuccidati, otherwise known as the fig cookie, tastes like waking up on Christmas morning as a child. With notes of cinnamon, tangerine and honey, its nutty, sticky interior is encased in a delightful shortbread exterior.

A traditional “Italian” favorite, the Italian Wedding Cookie is the closest sample to heaven one can taste. This light, sweet option relishes one’s palate with a hint of Anise.

On the other end of the pendulum, the Pecan Cocoon–still rich in flavor–yields a hearty taste and pairs great with African black roast coffee. Blending toasted pecan flour with vanilla, this crunchy selection packs a punch in every bite.

“There’s a lot of love that goes into my product,” Al says. “Every time I make a cookie, there’s a memory that pops up. It is of my aunts, my grandmother, my mother making them, and the love and the passion they had to do that. It wasn’t easy back in those days. I hope that I am creating memories for others.”

When Al bites into the Cuccidati, he remembers baking them by the dozens. All the extended family would gather elbow-to-elbow, packing like sardines in the kitchen.

One would grind all of the spices and nuts and fruits, slowly churning out the maroon paste before the next would mold the concoction into rolls of dough and pinch off inches to bake. Decadent aromas wafted through the house, engulfing the air with a sense of nostalgia while whisking one away to a simpler time.

His family would bake from dawn till dusk, scattering sheets of cookies on every bed, couch, table and chair in the house. They would then pack cookies–hundreds of cookies–in every spare tin and Tupperware spilling over from the cupboards.

The best part, however, was delivering such goodies to their neighbors, friends, more family members, church goers, coworkers–anyone they could find to bless. The only thing more abundant than cookies in the Ruffino family household during the holidays was the love they shared for one another.

Al credits his mother, Jeanette Ruffino, and his aunts, Marie Hammond, Josephine Scalisi and Bernadine Chiarella, for their time and talents they invested into him. Because of them, he gets to do what he loves every day–and part of that love is reminding future generations of their heritage.

“One of our slogans is ‘we remember the moments,’” Chris says. “That’s what we’re about. Our good friend Sonia once told [Al] we’re not selling cookies. We’re selling memories. That’s what it is for us. We’re just making things, but it’s the memories behind them, the traditions, the Italian heritage, that we’re trying to preserve.”

Truly, savoring a cookie crafted by The Italian Cookie Company is a lucky thing. If one concentrates hard enough, he will taste an authenticity like no other–familial pride passed down through generations and baked into perfection.

Such flavor has no rival when it comes from the heart, and in Al Ruffino’s case, a lineage of love.

Learn more about The Italian Cookie Company and purchase products online at theitaliancookiecompany.com.