Josie Lomonaco's mother would be pleased her daughter has put the family's Sicilian cookies out for public consumption. From sales in nine area retial stores to holidays and private affairs such as weddings, anniversaries, birthday parties and other events, the Lomonaco Sicilian Cookie Co.'s gourmet cookies are becoming popular in the area.

"This would warm her heart, and she would be so proud of the direction this has gone," said Lomonaco, as she and her husband, John Lomonaco, today were to expand the business further with the launch of a website, jjlomonaco.com, where customers can buy a variety of cookies online.

Making the cookies was such a passion for the couple that, in January, Lomonaco, 57, retired from her office position with Orthopaedic Associates of Grand Rapids to focus full-time on the growing business. John Lomonaco, 56, an engineering manager for the furniture industry, does some baking on the side. "I grew up watching my mother bake for all the family functions and the cookies were always there," Josie Lomonaco said. "I loved them as a child and my dad always told her they tasted so good. I learned from her."

Several years ago, when the family celebrated the 50th wedding anniversary of her parents, Jim and Ida Scalabrino, at a local restaurant, she asked whether the cookies could be brought in as part of the meal, Lomonaco said. "The chef came out and tasted the cookies and said they were great," she recalled. "He asked us if we would make them for restaurant events, and my mother encouraged John and I to give it a try."

That small start was 10 years ago. In more recent years, they decided to start a true cookie-making business and named it Josie's Biscotti. But after getting some advice and design help from Palazzolo Design Studio in 2010, the husband and wife team decided the name did not truly reflect the taste or texture of their specialty cookie and recently repackaged and renamed the business. "Our cookies really are not a biscotti, which is drier and more like a biscuit," Josie Lomonaco said. "We use a special ingredient passed down from my grandmother and we needed a new name that fit the product."

Moist and tender like tiny cakes, the cookies bear names such as Spruzzi, Sesamo, Cucidati, Lustrato, Neopolitano and Pianura, with a variety of fillings or frostings. They can be found at Forest Hills Foods, G.B. Russo's and Sons, Horrocks Market, John Russo's Wine Warehouse & Deli, Grand River Grocery, The Company Bean coffee shop, Amore Trattoria Italiana restaurant, Sobie Meats and Villa Pizza.

As the business started to grow, so did the need to find a permanent place to make and bake the cookies. "We were renting commercial kitchens around the area, but wanted something better," said John Lomonaco. "The Michigan Agriculture Department told us about the Starting Block Kitchen in Hart." The Starting Block Kitchen is a business incubator dedicated to food industry start-up companies, which was a perfect fit for them. They drive an hour each way once a week from Grand Rapids, but it's worth the effort, he added. "We leave the space and they provide all the equipment, packing, freezing and storage space," Lomonaco said. "We couldn't afford to open our own kitchen when the economy started the downturn, so this has worked out great."

The couple said their sales volume doubled in 2010, something they never expected. They hope to see $75,000 to $100,000 in sales for 2011. "When you taste our product, it really sells itself because the flavor is so unique," Lomonaco said. "We hope to get into more specialty stores, and we're even thinking about testing them out in the farmer's markets.