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nwrap a freshly-baked Pub Cookie and
bite into the chocolaty goodness. It’s one of thousands that
have been made from scratch by
Linda Dixson
, better known
as “Linda the Baker,” who has come to work at Dana Dining
Hall by 6 a.m. five mornings a week for the last 37 years to
bake up batches of these signature cookies.
The Pub Cookie came to be during the 1960s, when Dining
Services was asked to make a bigger-than-normal treat for an
event, recalls Bob Zimmerman, manager of Dana Dining Hall.
They earned their name because they were originally sold in
the Noble Center Pub, even though they were baked in Dana.
In the years since the Pub Cookie was born, Dixson has
preserved its recipe and shape. Listen to her talk about her love
of baking as she scoops the cookie dough by hand, and you’ll
realize the secret to the cookie’s softer center and crispier edge
lies not just in the ingredients and preparation, but also in how
much she cares about the work she does. “I love what I do, even
though it can be a little overwhelming sometimes,” she says.
The number of Pub Cookies on campus differs depending
on the time of year. Not only are they sold almost daily in the
Northstar Café, the Time-Out Café and Brewer Bookstore,
but Admissions also gives them to high school students visiting
campus for interviews and tours.
“In the fall, I’ve made up to 180 per day or more, but in the
spring we bake fewer because people are worried about weight
heading into summer,” Dixson notes. Events like big hockey
games or Commencement require more: for the 2013 Com-
mencement, Linda baked 3,000, “And we ran out!”
While the Pub Cookie might be the most famous of Dixson’s
responsibilities, it’s only one of the desserts that start in her
mixing bowl. Dixson and her assistant, Justin Martin, are re-
sponsible for most things that pertain to baking at St. Lawrence,
including the dozens of muffins, breads and pies that students,
faculty, staff and visitors snack on each day. Nearly every baked
item featured in St. Lawrence’s dining facilities is made right on
campus, in the unseen preparation areas of Dana.
After 37 years (and, based on our calculations, possibly over
500,000 cookies), “Linda the Baker” plans to retire at the end
of the 2014-15 academic year. The recipe, which she smilingly
refuses to reveal for this story, will stay behind, entrusted to
someone else who will also put “the love” into thousands more
Pub Cookies for years to come, perpetuating what has become
the tastiest of St. Lawrence traditions.
n
Tori Bean first crafted this story as part of her internship in
University Communications in spring 2014;
St. Lawrence
assistant editor Meg Bernier later expanded it.
BAKER
In the recesses of Dana Dining Hall,
Linda Dixon has been making
St. Lawrence’s iconic Pub Cookies
for 37 years, and for now she’s
keeping the recipe a secret.
By Victoria Bean ’14 and Meg Bernier ’07, M’09
Our Pub Cookie-maker heads for retirement after half a million cookies.
U
GREAT
SLU'S