Fortune Cookies

Written By Judy Doherty

The modern fortune cookie is often credited to Makoto Hagiwara, a Japanese immigrant who managed the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park in the early 1900s. Hagiwara is said to have served the cookies around 1914, adapting a traditional Japanese cracker called tsujiura senbei, which contained paper fortunes. Although some later claimed that Chinese restaurateurs in Los Angeles popularized the cookie, Hagiwara’s version is widely recognized as the first in the United States. His creation blended Japanese tradition with American novelty, eventually becoming a staple of Chinese-American restaurants across the nation.

They are commonly served at the end of meals in Chinese-American restaurants across the United States and other Western countries. Most diners at such restaurants expect one with the check or take-out order. Diners (especially of Chinese-American cuisine), event planners, marketers, and novelty-gift buyers all use fortune cookies today. A Brooklyn, NY, fortune cookie factory makes over 3 billion fortune cookies per year, according to the Museum of Food and Drink.

Who can resist their crunch texture along with the joy of finding wise messages inside? Not us!

Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA, where the fortune cookie originated.

Golden Gate Fortune Cookie Factory, Chinatown, San Francisco, CA

Judy Doherty

I am a food, beverage, and CPG product photographer specializing in photos, stop motion, and video, with over 90,000 photos and motion graphics delivered. Clients hire me for my eye, creative direction, and passion for taking their idea to the next level.

My strength lies in a nimble and lean creative process. Clients love getting creative content at a reasonable cost since my studio can art direct, style, and shoot their images quickly and on budget. My studio features an extensive surface library and prop house with a fully equipped kitchen and two shooting studios.

My experience as a chef, stylist, and photographer has earned many awards, including APA Top 100, ACF Gold Medal, and a juried fine art photo exhibit at Art Basel Miami. I was Executive Pastry Chef for two Hyatt Hotels and Resorts before completing two post-baccalaureate certificates for Visual Art and Graphic Design at U.C. Berkeley Extension in San Francisco.

https://judydohertyphotography.com
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