MoxieTalk with Kirt Jacobs Episode #148: Elizabeth Kizito

Elizabeth Kitzito sees her cookie business as a way to provide for her family here and in Uganda. Born in Uganda during the 1950s, Kizito moved to America in 1975 to attend school. Unfortunately, civil unrest and war in Uganda prevented her from returning. She moved to Louisville in 1978 and began making and selling cookies – originally as a way to pay for her son's birthday present. She started selling cookies downtown and within a few years, in 1989, she traded her cart for her own bakery on Bardstown Road. Kizito's heritage plays a large part in her life and business as she sells cookies from a basket atop her head, while dressed in traditional African attire. She can regularly be seen at local concerts, sporting events and festivals in Louisville selling cookies, brownies and biscotti. Her products are also sold at many restaurants and stores throughout the area. Today, many locals affectionately refer to her as the "Cookie Lady." Each year Kizito travels to Uganda to provide financial assistance to her relatives. In 2003, she was named Woman Business Owner of the Year by the Louisville chapter of NAWBO. Kizito has two sons, and resides in Louisville.