One of the borough’s sweetest who was also responsible for some of the sweetest treats to come out of the Bronx has passed away.
Rose Florio, the owner and founder of Golden Glow Cookies at 1844 Givan Avenue died on Thursday, January 21. She was 92-years-old.
She began the business in 1954 with her father nearby to their house on Barnes Avenue, her son Michael told.
Golden Glow began as a “real little place” which specialized in the making of Italian style cookies at the same time when the iconic brand, Stella D’oro also rose in popularity.
Her son also explained that exclusively doing a line of Italian cookies at that time was for the most part unheard of – so in many ways Golden Glow became the baking trailblazers of the Bronx.
As Florio’s bakery rose to success through the years, she began making and selling cookies as far north as upstate and as south to Philadelphia, Michael added.
“The business was her life and she loved being in it,” Michael said, calling his late mother a “sweetheart of a lady and a good business person.”
Rose Florio was also known for “giving people opportunities” especially local high school kids looking for work.
“She just gave people a chance, she never stood in the way of anybody,” Michael told, mentioning that he had also worked under his mother when he was in college some years ago.
Even in her final months, Florio was very active in her business and would often work from home, according to Michael.
In her many years as Golden Glow’s founder, she transformed a small cookie shop into a major, full line baking enterprise which delivers to customers throughout the Bronx and even to Long Island, also selling to schools, restaurants, companies, and caterers.
Florio and Golden Globe have many times been accoladed by Bronx organizations including the Bronx Times and politicians and have even been put in the state’s business hall of fame in Albany, Michael said, calling these past years an “amazing ride.”
Right up until Rose Florio passed, she watched a closed circuit television of her facility until her last day.
