Royal Treats

The Faces of Sweet Treats
Luke Parks, CEO, with Managers Ezra Parks, Janile Parks, and Darryl “DJ” Rayborn

Balancing advanced placement courses, honors classes, cross-country practices, media production events, and Beta Club meetings at Zachary High School was no small feat for Luke Parks. Yet, amid his busy schedule, Luke took on an even bigger challenge—launching his very own cookie dough business.

A 2024 honor graduate of Zachary High School and currently a sophomore at Baylor University studying Biology on a pre-med track, Luke reflects on his many accomplishments with pride, but nothing compares to his journey as a young entrepreneur. The idea for Royal Treats began in fourth grade, during an entrepreneurship course in Mrs. Wilkewitz’s class at Zachary Elementary School. Luke was tasked with developing a concept, writing a business plan, and testing it with family friends and church members. In his spare time, he honed family recipes by baking cookies, cupcakes, and pies with his parents. Positive feedback and encouragement from these early taste tests inspired him to turn his passion into a business.

A family friend, Chandra Williams, introduced Luke’s family to former Executive Director Gaye Sandoz at LSU’s AgCenter Food Innovation Institute (FOODii). With guidance from Gaye and the hardworking staff, Luke worked closely with them and LSU food scientists to pivot from traditional baking to a frozen product. In October 2021, Royal Treats officially launched.

Royal Treats can be described as a Southern classic. The frozen tea cake cookie dough, available in 16- and 32-ounce jars, is better than a sugar cookie with a hint of vanilla. Customers often reminisce about enjoying tea cake cookies with grandparents, parents, and aunts or uncles—stories that warm Luke’s heart. The family recipe, passed down from his great-grandmother Cornelia Adolph Batiste, fuels the business. Every jar is handcrafted with love, from Luke’s family to yours.

Based out of FOODii in Ingram Hall, Royal Treats is currently sold in five parishes: Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, and Livingston. The Greater Baton Rouge community has been an invaluable supporter, providing not just customers, but cheerleaders for this homegrown business.

Royal Treats continues to grow, with new products planned for the future. Learn more at myroyaltreats.com.