THERE is a new cookie shop in town, and for Camille’s Cookies and Crumbles owner DeShawn Reign, it’s just the beginning, as he is one of several BOOST grant recipients. BOOST stands for Building Optimism, Opportunities, and Stability Together.
Reign, who is from Florida, decided to visit Saipan amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In October 2022, after receiving positive reviews on his homemade cookies, he set up shop at Paseo de Marianas, naming his business after his mother Camille.
“I named my company after my mother. The recipes that my mother had with our basic cookies were our butter cookies, peanut butter cookies, and chocolate chip cookies. The butter is the base for all the cookies. This was passed down to my mom from my grandmother, and then my mom passed it down to me and my sister,” Reign said in an interview with Variety.
He hopes to one day pass these recipes down to someone who will take good care of them.
Initially, he intended to just name his business “Camille’s Cookies,” but added a spin at the end by happenstance.
“The rest of the name is really because our peanut butter cookies are so crispy, yet soft, that sometimes they crumble, so I added that to the name to make it more unique,” Reign said.
He said so far, the shop’s chocolate chip cookies are the bestseller, with locally inspired cookies coming in a close second.
“A lot of the locals love coconut, so I actually have two cookies that are named after the island… They’re very, very popular cookies,” said Reign.
Marianas Honey Cha Coco combines honey, coconut flakes and cocoa and has butter for the base. Saipan Chocolate Thunder has a butter base mixed with cocoa, coconut, almonds, and honey.
“Those are probably the fan favorites right now,” said Reign.
He said it means a lot to him to be able to keep his family traditions and recipes alive.
“It means a lot, especially for my mom to see that we’re doing pretty well, even though we’re in a whole different place,” he said, adding how proud they are to be bringing treats for people to enjoy.
But setting up shop amid the Covid-19 pandemic didn’t come without its struggles.
“I definitely had my struggles. However, my belief is that things are going to turn around, and that I’m just trying to stay afloat until that happens. I think [this] would be a unique place, especially for Saipan because all of my things are made here on Saipan. It’s just a nice place where people can enjoy a nice treat, relax, have a nice vibe, to kind of forget about what’s going on in everyday life, what’s going on in the world,” he said.
Reign’s vision for Camille’s Cookies and Crumbles includes expanding his shop beyond just cookies, potentially providing a dinner menu and specialty cocktails.
“I have my own alcoholic beverage cocktail that I’ve created since 2007 that I want to grow as well, and then I have different dinner menus that will be coming shortly once I finish building the kitchen out here. I’d like people to enjoy the foods I brought from my home,” he said.
“I believe on the island here, there are not a lot of choices. There was no cookie shop, and there aren’t a lot of choices for different types of foods here, or places to go, unlike our sister island of Guam that has a lot of different things. So just to be able to add that here, and hopefully inspire others to want to bring their businesses here and add to it, I think we might have a destination that tourists and other people would want to come to, to have a mainstay of a place that is unique, yet delicious and good that it will have them coming back for more.”
To individuals interested in investing in a local business, Reign said, “Don’t let obstacles deter you from your journey. Believe in your product, believe that you have something that you can add to the community, and just strive for it. Don’t give up. Work hard. The more you put into it, the more results that you’ll be able to see as you continue to grow.”
The cookie shop owner thanked his customers and the local community for supporting his business.
For more information, check out Camille’s Cookies and Crumbles’ Facebook page or go to www.ccandcrumbles.net/.
Camille’s Cookies and Crumbles is located at Paseo De Marianas in Garapan.
The cozy cookie shop celebrates the season with holiday decorations.
A tray filled with Camille’s Cookies and Crumbles’ heart-shaped cookies.
