Doctor By Day Runs McLean Baking Business On The Side

MCLEAN, VA — By day, Leslie Hao is a head and neck surgeon. By night, Hao is making cookies for her home-based business in McLean.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, Hao was furloughed as her office closed for a few months. With that extra time at home, Hao worked on cookie decorating and recipes. From there, KLookies was born.

KLookies is a business offering custom made vanilla butter cookies for pickup. Her business makes cookies for all kinds of occasions and even seasonal options.

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Here is more information on KLookies:

Business name

KLookies, LLC

Location

McLean, VA

Social media

https://www.instagram.com/klookietime
https://www.Facebook.com/klookietime

Hours

Cookie pickup weekday afternoons/evenings

When and how did the business get started?

During the lockdown, my daughter Kelsie and I took some online cookie decorating classes. I am a board-certified head and neck surgeon, but I have always loved creative arts and baking. One class and I was hooked! Combining precise handiwork and artistry to create deliciously beautiful cookies fits me like a glove.

My family and friends kept saying “you really should sell these!” We created our Instagram page to document “Kelsie and Leslie’s cookies” (the name “KLookies” was her idea) just to document our progress (we were so proud of our first KLookies!😂). Strangers started reaching out asking if we sold them. And I thought “I really could sell these!”

Now that I’m an empty nester, I have extra time and energy. So here I am, Dr. Leslie Hao by day (and some nights and weekends…) and KLookies LLC by night, having an absolute blast!

What does your business offer?

Custom decorated vanilla butter cookies for any occasion and curated seasonal offerings.

What's your most popular product or service?

I enjoy designing elaborate cookie sets for dessert tables, but people seem to really like using my cookies for gifts and goodie bags.

What's your favorite thing about the community your business is located in?

My neighbors in McLean are extremely supportive of each other and our local small businesses. And we all seem to love good food!

What kind of impact has the COVID-19 pandemic had on business?

As a practicing physician, my office closed for a couple months. I was actually furloughed. During that time, I took the opportunity to hone my cookie decorating skills and fine tune some recipes and KLookies was born!

Do you have any favorite memories at the business?

I love it when my family gets involved. My daughter has an incredible sense of humor and a great artistic eye, so I often run design ideas by her. Last year, I created some car replica cookies to donate to an auction benefiting a driving safety class for teens and my husband, an automobile buff, pointed out important details to include in each model. And my boys are really good taste testers!