Why a cancer researcher switched to a career in the kitchen

Last spring, Monica Nye traded her lab coat for an apron.

The 35-year-old Indianapolis native was a cancer researcher and biology professor at UNC Charlotte, with a resume that boasted a PhD in molecular pharmacology and experimental therapeutics from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

Now, she’s training her scholarly eye on another science: baking. She started her company, A Smart Cookie LLC, and now works out of a commercial kitchen, selling her delicacies at the NoDa Farmers Market, at pop-up shops around the region, and online at asmartcookiellc.com.

She talked with SouthPark about her career change, her scrumptious flavors, and some swoon-worthy collaborations.

What made you switch gears? Isn’t this something of a pay cut?

Yes, this has been a huge pay cut, but I’m happy. I was miserable in my career. I experienced academic burnout and was sick of the politics of academia.

How does your background help in the cookie world?

There is a lot of science in baking—you need to understand how the ingredients play well together to get a great final product. Also, I learned a lot about branding and marketing while in graduate school at Mayo. They set the bar high for what it means to be a Mayo doctor and someone who represents Mayo. They put forth a lot of effort to protect their brand. When creating my logo and deciding how I wanted to set up my company, I started with what I wanted my brand to represent and what values we would hold.

What are some of your favorite flavors?

My favorite cookie from childhood is an oatmeal scotchie—an oatmeal cookie with butterscotch chips. My family has several seasonal desserts that I love to make and have created my spin on. For example, I partnered with Doc Porter’s Distillery to use their bourbon in my bourbon pecan pies. I used my mom’s carrot cake recipe to create my sweet potato cake recipe. Another new-school dessert that I created is an oatmeal cookie sandwich with chocolate oatmeal stout buttercream featuring Three Spirits Brewery Sweet Memories beer.

How do you come up with the flavors?

As a scientist, I love experimenting in the kitchen. The oatmeal cookie sandwich came about while I was meeting with Tabu Terrell, the owner of Three Spirits. We were doing a beer tasting as we discussed partnering together. As soon as I tasted it I knew it would go well in a buttercream for an adult version of the oatmeal cookie sandwich.

What is your hope for the future of the business?

To create enough demand to support a brick-and-mortar location. My goal is to live out a long-term dream of being in business with my sisters, who also love to bake.

Photos: Justin Driscoll

This story first ran in SouthPark Magazine.

This story was originally published January 10, 2018 at 8:00 PM with the headline "Why a cancer researcher switched to a career in the kitchen."