Our Story

Pam Weekes and Connie McDonald created the ultimate chocolate chip cookie to help give them loads of energy while training for a triathlon. Competitive swimmers by training, Pam and Connie passed their grueling workouts by engaging in passionate conversations about starting their own company and baking, which ultimately inspired them to leave their respective careers in fashion and finance and start Levain Bakery in 1995.

The cozy shop on West 74th Street quickly became a neighborhood favorite and a destination for epicurious travelers from around the world, hungry for the world-famous six-ounce cookies. Their mission from the start was to bake everything fresh on-site each day and to donate the day’s leftovers to charity each night, a mission that remains solidly in place almost 25 years later. 

Levain now has five bakeries in New York and will soon open a sixth bakery – and first downtown location in NOHO at Bleecker and Lafayette in early 2020.