As founder of Uncle Wally's Muffin Company, he demonstrated that it is possible to come back from defeat. In 2002, he re-entered the cookie business with Aunt Della's Cookies, named after his aunt who first baked chocolate chip cookies for him. Wally is proof that the success principals, which he lives by, really do work.

This is a man who reached for the stars, achieved the impossible dream, and then fell into a pit where he could have been swallowed into a black abyss. Instead, he drew upon a deep well of spiritual power and filled the pit with joy! And joy has become the propellant that keeps him soaring above the clouds of life. The richness of spirit developed through this scenario has given him a life message of faith, hope, and encouragement that he will now share with us.

The face that launched a thousand chips, Wally Amos is the father of the gourmet cookie industry. As inventor of Famous Amos cookies, his story is the quintessential American success story.The Famous Amos cookie tale began when the talent agent began using his bite-sized cookies as calling cards. At the urging of his friends and clients, Wally Amos launched the Famous Amos Cookie Company in 1975 with a Sunset Boulevard storefront in Hollywood. The business grew and in 1985, Famous Amos cookies was a $10 million business. Great products are not built on great taste alone, and Famous Amos' success is as much due to Wally Amos' infectious enthusiasm and tireless promoting as it is to the cookies' delicious taste.

Although Wally Amos left the brand after it changed hands several times between 1985 and 1998, he never lost his entrepreneurial zeal or passion for baking and promoting. His most recent venture is the Long Island-based Uncle Wally's Company, which produces a full line of muffins.

Before his foray into the cookie business, Wally Amos spent a stint in the Air Force where he earned his GED. He also worked at Sak's in New York. He then joined the William Morris Talent Agency and worked his way up to become the firm's first black agent. While at William Morris, Wally Amos represented The Supremes and Marvin Gaye, and he is credited for signing the then-unknown duo Simon & Garfunkel.

Wally Amos has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows, appeared in various network sitcoms and acted as spokesman for Hush Puppies, United Airlines and the California Egg Board. He is the host and teacher of 50 adult basic learning programs on PBS, and has authored five books, including The Cookie Never Crumbles, Inspirational Recipes for Everyday Living.

In addition to his business, Wally Amos devotes a great deal of time and passion to literacy causes, serving as national spokesman for the Literacy Volunteers of America and acting as a board member for the National Center for Family Literacy and Communities in Schools.