Stephanie Wiley found solace in baking for others after the death of her son in 2020.  

Wiley lost her son to a fentanyl overdose a week after his high school graduation. Her business, Tommy’s Cookie Co. — which sells homemade cookie brittle — donates a percentage of all sales to fentanyl awareness every year.    

Tommy Saliamonas was a caring and enduring kid, his mom said. He loved the outdoors. He stood up for others and fought for the underdog. He was a great man, Wiley said, and the combination of him experimenting with drugs and the pandemic was a “disaster.” 

Each bag of cookie brittle, a thin, crunchy treat that captures classic cookie flavors, is adorned with bright colors and a large, whimsical font heralding Tommy’s name. The back of the bag features a photo of Tommy when he was 16 as well as his story. 

Originally from California, Wiley was a professional photographer for 20 years. She moved to the valley in August 2020 after she married her husband, who has lived in Whitefish since the 1990s.  

It was a short two months after Tommy’s death, making the transition difficult, but it also gave Wiley some tools to utilize as she grieved: nature, solitude and baking.  

“It’s a creative way to spread a little joy,” she said while sitting in a Kalispell coffee shop last month.  

Wiley began commercially baking in 2021 after a year of baking at home and giving products to friends and neighbors. At the time, the company was called Fat Kid Cookie Co., but Wiley rebranded the company to Tommy’s Cookie Co. this year.  

When she first started the company, Wiley shied away from naming it after Tommy due to her grief.  

“But I found myself telling two different stories, one about the cookies and one about Tommy. But he’s the reason behind it,” Wiley said. “For me as a mom, it’s important to keep his name alive.” 

There are four flavors of cookie brittle available. The original chocolate chip cookie brittle takes a classic flavor and adds a spicy twist. New this year, are the lemon cookie brittle and the coffee cookie brittle.  

A seasonal peppermint cookie brittle will be available starting Nov. 1. For the entire month of November, $1 from every bag of cookies sold will go to South Dakota nonprofit Emily’s Hope, dedicated to removing the stigma around substance use disorder through awareness, education and prevention efforts.  

“Resilience as part of grieving is very important to me. You go through this horrible tragedy and it’s really easy to stop living,” Wiley said. “But you can also build something. I’m building this for Tommy.” 

She bakes in a commercial kitchen six days a month, crafting everything herself. The bags are then sent out to specialty grocery stores across the country.  

A line of cookie crumbs, a crushed version of the spicy chocolate chip cookie brittle that is great for using in pie crusts and as a dessert topping, is available for purchase online.  

In the valley, the cookie brittle can be found in Kalispell at The Neighborhood Market, The Rancher’s Daughter and Forage & Floral. In Whitefish, the cookies can be purchased at Logan Health Whitefish, Whitefish Westside Market and Markus Community Market. They are also available at Packmule Liquor & Wine in Columbia Falls and Park Provisions Glacier in Coram.  

As Tommy’s Cookie Co. continues to grow, Wiley hopes that, in turn, so will awareness about the dangers of fentanyl. 

“You’re never going to get over it, it’s never going to go away,” she said of her grief. “But you can try to make something good out of something horrible.” 

To learn more or order cookies online, visit tommyscookieco.com.  

Reporter Kate Heston may be reached at 758-4459 or [email protected].