Tee Williams has been baking since she was a kid, getting cookbooks for Christmas and trying out different recipes. As she got older, her interests changed, so baking was something she did less often. For a while, she thought she might go into the medical field, but between chemistry and the queasiness she felt at the sight of blood, she opted out of a career in medicine.
“They want you to be built like a 14 year old boy.”
Eventually Tee returned to baking and even considered going into the culinary arts. Growing up in Michigan, her parents were in the restaurant business off and on, so this seemed like a natural career path. She realized, however, that this was not the right fit for her either. Given Tee’s height, her mom suggested she pursue a career in modeling, but when she started auditioning, Tee says people thought she was too overweight. “They want you to be built like a 14 year old boy,” she says.
Tee ended up moving to Las Vegas, where she did not fit the mold of the typical blonde-haired, blue-eyed Las Vegas model. This worked to her advantage, however, and she found success booking commercial print jobs. She had also built a nice nest egg while working and living with her parents, so she ultimately quit her day job and focused on modeling full time. After ten years in the industry, an agent saw a PSA she filmed and suggested she get into broadcasting. Taking that advice, Tee moved back to Michigan and enrolled in Specs Howard School of Media Arts and started working for a television station. During that time, her parents were active in the restaurant business and asked for her help. Though Tee intended for this to be a brief stint, offering an extra set of hands, she ended up staying for 13 years until the lease was up. When that happened, Tee’s parents decided to move to White House, TN and she went with them.
“I sold enough cookies that made me think that I could do this.”
With the move came the realization that Tee was ready to settle down. She was tired of the single life, so she decided to try online dating, eventually meeting the man she would marry. For a while she worked as a health coach while she and her husband built their lives together. Eventually they became friends with a couple, who, after leaving the medical field, were starting up their own freeze-dried candy business — The Happy Hatchery. At that time, Tee was still trying to find a more fulfilling career so she went with them to a festival in Baxter, selling homemade cookies using her mother’s recipes. “I sold enough cookies that made me think that I could do this,” Tee says.
Searching for a way to make her cookie business stand out from similar businesses in the area, Tee turned to her childhood for inspiration. Growing up, Tee loved old movies and classic television shows like I Love Lucy. “I watched so much I Love Lucy that I had dreams in black and white,” she says. That is the time period she wants her business to capture, cultivating a sense of nostalgia, perhaps reminding them of when their grandmothers would give them a sweet treat.
“I told my husband, I need a camper.”
This vision for her business did not happen overnight. Tee spent a lot of time selling her cookies at various events, underneath a tent that was highly dependent on the weather for stability. Early on, someone suggested she get a teardrop camper and sell her cookies out of it, but that was not yet in her budget. Eventually, dealing with a tent in unpredictable weather conditions eroded her morale to the point she was forced to consider a sturdier option. “I told my husband, I need a camper,” she says. They ultimately found what they were looking for on Facebook marketplace, but it was old, worn-down, and required a lot of work. They spent months renovating and revamping it to fit Tee’s vision of something nostalgic, inviting, and well-suited for selling cookies.
Tee’s camper, the eye-catching home to The Better Butter Cookie Company, has been seen in various places around Cookeville, all decked out in its signature bright pinks and yellows. Tee can usually be found inside the camper or just outside of it, dressed like she just stepped out of a 1950s sitcom, greeting customers with a smile and handing out cookie samples to passersby.
Most recently, Tee and her camper have found a more permanent location outside of Wonderfill Refillery every Friday from 11-5. There is even a picnic area in front that her husband helped set up so people can sit and enjoy one of Tee’s old-fashioned treats. Recently Tee has also made her business available for appearances at corporate events or for anyone looking for an upscale, nostalgic touch to their parties.
Offering cookies “made from scratch with ingredients you can pronounce,” Tee has brought an old-fashioned charm to her business. The vintage framework of The Better Butter Cookie Company is more than just a marketing gimmick. For Tee, it is about creating a whole experience for her customers, allowing them to revisit a simpler time with each bite of a cookie.
