From his kitchen in The Bronx River Projects to an international cookie brand loved worldwide.

From as far back as he can remember, Ralph Rolle has always marched to the beat of a different drum. It is, therefore, no surprise that with more than three and a half decades of professional experience within the music industry, Ralph also enjoys an illustrious career as a much sought-after drummer and vocalist. For the past 19 years, Ralph has been the drummer/vocalist for Grammy Award-winning Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Nile Rodgers and Chic. He’s also played with Sting, Bono, Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Pharrell Williams, Biggie Smalls, Queen Latifah, Lauryn Hill, Janelle Monae, Keith Urban, Chris Botti, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, India Arie, Gloria Lynne, Jennifer Holiday, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Yolanda Adams, Kirk Franklin, Najee, Freddie Jackson, Glenn Jones, Doug E. Fresh, Oran “Juice” Jones, and many, many more. Ralph was the resident drummer/vocalist for N.B.C. ‘It’s Showtime at The Apollo’ for over 15 seasons and has served as the musical director for The Caroline Rhea Show and Japanese Super Star Toshi Kubota.

No stranger to dishin’ out a good groove, Ralph is accustomed to serving up heaping portions of soul that leave appetites wet with anticipation and desire – salivating and begging for more! His forte, however, is not only in stimulating the senses but also in satisfying them. To this end, Ralph has been able to successfully transfer his creativity behind drums and cymbals to the context of mixing bowls and baking pans by establishing the New York-based Soul Snacks Cookie Company. Although the company was founded in 1996, the Soul Snacks recipe has a long and interesting history that dates back to the early 1900s. Ralph Rolle has perpetuated the traditions of his maternal grandmother, Leola Williams, who was born in Ocilla, Georgia, moved to Miami, started a family, and later migrated to Harlem in the Renaissance years. Leola baked fresh bread for family, friends, and church during a time when the artistic and cultural energy was high and the community spirit even higher. The Soul Snacks Cookie Co. deliberately harkens back to that bountiful time and employs a philosophy deeply committed to giving back to the community whose rhythms make up the essence of what has become one heck of a soulful concoction. “My plans for expansion are rooted in the promise and the potential of the community,” states Ralph emphatically. Dreams do come true. Ralph’s 1250-square-foot baking facility in the South Bronx is the new home for The Soul Snacks Cookie Company, where he continues to grow and employ individuals from his old stomping ground, The Bronx River Projects.

Soul Snacks have been enjoyed by many both locally and internationally: Bette Midler, Chris Rock, Whoopi Goldberg, J-Lo, Gladys Knight, Steve Harvey, Doug E. Fresh, Roberta Flack, Toshi Kubota, Sinbad, Mo’Nique, D’Angelo, Kid Capri, and Russell Simmons, with clients such as Westside Market, Franks Market, and many more. The ABC TV host, Robin Roberts of Good Morning America fame, chose Soul Snacks as part of her holiday gift giving. On her list of people who received cookies were George Stephanopoulos and many more. Bette Midler and Ralph met when Nile Rodgers and Chic were the guest artists at Ms. Midler’s annual Hulaween Charity event. Ralph always has cookies with him. He calls it his “cookie calling card.” Ms. Midler loved Soul Snacks so much that she made a promise to order cookies for the holidays for all of her friends and family, and she absolutely did. The cookies were a hit. Soul Snacks can be found through the internet at eatsoulsnacks.com.

The company offers a variety of delicious cookies in our traditional flavors (T), our gluten-free (GF), and our vegan/gluten-free (VGF) flavors such as Georgia Oatmeal Raisin (T), Peanut Peanut Butter (T), Down Home Double Chocolate Chip (T) (GF) (VGF), Ebony, and Ivory Almond Cookie (T) (GF), Coconut Milk Chocolate Toffee (T) (GF), Chewy Oatmeal Raisin (T) (VGF), Grampy’s Chocolate Peanut Butter (T), French Cocoa Chocolate Chip (T), Miami Raisin Walnut (T), Chunked Up Chocolate Walnut (T), Cranberry Oatmeal Raisin (T), Joyful Gingerbread (T), Mississippi Mud (T), Country Carrot Oatmeal Raisin (T), Aunt Yvette’s Sugar Cookie (T) (VGF), Lemon Love Cookie (T), Mocha (VGF), Chocolate Chunk Cherry (VGF), Chocolate Oatmeal (VGF) and the number one seller that is the rant and rave of all those who taste it, Sweet Potato Cookie (T) (GF). Inside every cookie is years of heart, soul, and lots of pride that have been the main ingredient of Souls Snacks Cookies for over a century. Soul Snacks has attracted satisfied customers in Japan, Europe, Africa, the West Indies, Canada, and the United States.

While the company seeks to expand its outreach into mainstream distribution channels and national retail outlets, plans also include opening a gathering place called Soul Snacks Café in The Bronx. A food and dessert cafe where nothing but the most mouthwatering Southern foods, desserts, drinks, and music are served in an atmosphere cozy and authentic enough to invoke the classic elegance of the Harlem Renaissance. Sadly, after opening the restaurant in August of 2019, it closed due to COVID-19 on December 26, 2021. Ralph reassures, “Our plan is to reopen in 2024. We employed many Bronxites from the Westchester Square Community. That was the most painful part when we closed.”

The unique taste of Down South never fails to grab the attention of those who appreciate the comfort of a sweet mouthful of soul. The first taste of a cookie from The Soul Snack Cookie Co. always summons the same “Oh My Goodness” expression to customers’ faces. It’s an expression that mixes a “what in the world is this” surprise with a certain recognition: the recognition of tradition and custom, Sundays after church, and home cooking, and the distinctive taste of the cultural diversity that informs the American sweet tooth.
“They’re SOUL-Delicious!”

Taste Bud Entertainment, LLC
901 East 134th Street Bronx, New York 10454

718 665-7685(o) ralph@soulsnacks.com