“For as long as I can remember, I baked cookies with my mom and grandma - everybody got a tray of cookies at Christmastime,” said Eileen Caliva, founder of Caliva Cookie Co. 

Eileen’s mom, Harriet “Hattie May” Hamilton managed an Italian restaurant, and her dad was Italian, so even at home, the family ate Italian food made from scratch. When Eileen inherited her recipes, and those of her grandmother, Eva Marie Hamilton, she was thrilled and fell in love with cooking – especially baking Italian cookies.

It became a passion she passed down to her own kids, Megan (a pie baking extraordinaire) and Joseph “Joe” (who likes to prepare savory gourmet meals).

Connecting the World One Cookie at a Time

Baking buttery, crumbly biscotti helped Eileen, a facility coordinator at the Capital District YMCA, when they were forced to close during the pandemic. 

“When we had to shut-down, we were heartbroken because we were a very close-knit community there,” Eileen remembers. 

To stay connected, she started making cooking videos and posting them on TikTok, where she’s now amassed 8,000 fans. 

“Everybody was stuck in the house during COVID. It was a sad time. I wanted to bring some light into life and food makes people happy,” she said.

Eileen’s first big order was from Texas, another person with the last name Caliva. 

“I was excited we were connected that way. Then other Caliva (who I’m also not related to) started to order. There was this connection that felt good.”

A Sprinkle of This, a Dash of That

Made with local ingredients, Caliva Cookie Co. signature is the Orange Pistachio biscotti. It’s loaded with nuts, and fresh-squeezed oranges, coated in Eileen’s signature orange glaze, and topped with a sprinkling of sparkling sugar. 

There are nine seasonal biscotti flavors including a delectable Chocolate-Drizzled Salted Caramel, cheerful Chocolate Candy Cane, and satisfying Gingerbread. Cookies come in varieties such as Chocolate Mint Chip, Chocolate Fudge Walnut, and Caramel Pecan (to name a few). 

Locally, find Caliva Cookie Co. at Putnam Market, Buckley Farms, and the Adirondack Winery. A cooking demonstration (with FREE samples of Holiday Biscotti) will be held during Hildene’s Annual Appreciation Days event. Baking classes will be held in the new year at Burnt Hills Middle School and the SUNY Adirondack Culinary Arts Center. For updates, follow Caliva’s Cookie Co. on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok @CalivaKitchen, and YouTube.

To order Christmas cookie assortments, gift baskets, and cookie subscriptions, go to calivacookies.com