Cultivating over 30 years of practiced expertise in the fields of entrepreneurship and education, Yvonne Conti-O’Brien has excelled as the owner of the Red Rooster Cookie Jar since 2018. With its central location in The Villages region of Florida, the Red Rooster Cookie Jar is acclaimed in the community for its delectable selection of cookies and loaves of bread. Notably, Ms. Conti-O’Brien bakes each of her goods from scratch, bringing a familiar touch to her business.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Conti-O’Brien served as a seventh and eighth grade Spanish teacher at Flood Middle School, part of Stratford Public Schools in Connecticut, between 1998 and 2017. She initially joined the school system as an eighth-grade Spanish and French teacher in 1996. Likewise, she was an assistant producer for juvenile audio-home video at Random House, Inc., from 1989 to 1991. Before launching her esteemed career, Ms. Conti-O’Brien earned a bachelor’s degree from Salve Regina University in 1989 and completed postgraduate coursework at Sacred Heart University in 1996. She subsequently received a teaching certification from Sacred Heart University.
To remain abreast of developments in her field, Ms. Conti-O’Brien is a member of the Women Business Owners Networking Group. Furthermore, she has exemplified excellence in her career by accruing several accolades, most notably receiving recommendations on Restaurant Guru in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In 2023, Restaurant Guru also honored her with Best Desserts in The Villages. Earlier, she was honored with a Certificate of Excellence in 2021. Other awards and recognitions to Ms. Conti-O’Brien’s credit also include the Best of the 352 Gold Award for Dessert and Bakery in 2022 and Best of the 352 Silver Award for Dessert in 2023, as well as features in CanvasRebel Magazine. OrlandoVoyager Magazine, and Lake and Sumter STYLE Magazine.
Among her many career highlights, Ms. Conti-O’Brien is especially gratified by her journey as a business owner, having swiftly turned her business into a thriving company that is revered by customers in her region. In the coming years, she intends to further expand the Red Rooster Cookie Jar to reach a larger scope of customers.