Tami M. Cromar opened My Dough Girl at 770 S. 300 West in December, 2008. The shop, which is filled with '50s style pinups and décor, sells baked cookies and pre-portioned frozen cookie dough by the dozen, all made fresh daily with a "No Yucky Stuff" promise. Tami's philosophy of cookies is "If it isn't wonderful, it doesn't belong in your mouth!"

What made you want to open a cookie shop? An intense yearning to love what I do every single day I wake up, and true love for great food.

Where does the name come from? All the cookies have girls' names. There is not a cookie named after me. One night my husband said "My Dough Girl is Tami," and so the name was born.

How do you make your cookies? With love and passion, of course! Everything is made fresh daily with fresh dairy butter and eggs. I work hard at finding premium ingredients, pure, clean, and whole, and at all costs avoid artificial substitutes.

How many cookie varieties do you have at a time? We now have 10 daily. Our June Silly Lilly cookie is being brought on board as a daily cookie, since we had Dough Girl fever anarchy from our fans. We also feature a specialty dough every month. August was Anna, a chocolate-and-fresh-banana dough with chocolate-covered raisins. September is Maggie, a Strawberry Peach Crumb Cake cookie.

What's your very favorite cookie, and why? Margo (my alter ego) a chocolate cinnamon dough with a molten milk chocolate mint center. She's my signature, first truly creative dough I made back in the early '80s and I still love her so!

How do you get ideas for your cookies? I moved 18 times by the time I was 21, so I've had lots of culturally diverse culinary experiences which I'm sure contribute to my subconscious. I keep a journal in my purse, car, and by my nightstand for those spontaneous moments of clarity and inspiration at 3 a.m.

What are your newest creations? I always leave the door open to change my mind. The other day I was thinking of a Pumpkin mascarpone cookie with raisins soaked in Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur for our November cookie. But again, I have numerous ideas, so when a new month is approaching, I open my journal and go with the moment.

You seem to really love the 50s; how come? I have a romantic love affair with the past; it's beautiful, sexy, yet there's still an innocence, and design was classic. It charms me so, and I long to hold on to a sense of yesteryear.

You like pinups but you're a BYU grad; is there a contradiction there? Beauty is for everyone, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. My favorite pinup artist is Pearl Frush, whose women were very attractive and completely modest. I see no contradiction in appreciating beauty, especially that of a woman.

What are your plans for the future? I'd like to grow in 15 strategic locations, such as Sun Valley, Lake Tahoe, Jackson Hole, Nantucket, Toyko and London -- places I'd like to visit -- and keep My Dough Girl a destination purchase. I definitely don't want to be in every mall in America, yuck! And to think it will have all started here in Salt Lake City. Who's your Dough Girl? If you haven't discovered the girl of your dreams yet, I suggest you pay us a visit.