For most entrepreneurs, the road to success is anything but straightforward. For Bob Haney, the founder and executive chef behind Heavenly Waffles, that path has been a remarkable journey through childhood kitchens, international fashion runways, addiction and recovery, and finally—culinary innovation that is capturing attention nationwide.

A Childhood Spark

Haney’s love for food began before he could reach the stove. “One of my earliest memories is standing on a stool next to my grandmother, helping her make Thanksgiving gravy,” he recalls. That moment ignited a lifelong passion for creating dishes that bring people together. As a boy growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, Haney was already experimenting, crafting makeshift hors d’oeuvres with Triscuits, cheese, and pickles for Cornhusker football games.

The Unexpected Detour: A Fashion Career

Cooking may have been his first love, but Haney’s twenties led him into an entirely different world—fashion. He spent 15 years modeling in cities like Milan, Madrid, Athens, New York, and Miami, brushing shoulders with icons like Elton John and Gianni Versace. “At times I felt completely out of my league,” Haney admits. “But those experiences prepared me for moments later in life—like walking into the Chick-fil-A headquarters to pitch my product.”

Triumph Over Adversity

Beneath the glamour of the modeling industry, Haney wrestled with addiction. After three failed attempts at rehab, he had nearly resigned himself to a destructive fate. Then came a turning point. “It was like God put His hand on my shoulder and lifted the compulsion to drink away,” he says. That was 23 years ago. Sobriety gave Haney the clarity to pursue his true calling—culinary innovation.

The Birth of Heavenly Waffles

Back in Omaha, Haney returned to his roots in the kitchen. A happy accident—substituting yogurt for sour cream in a family pancake recipe—sparked what would become his signature creation. The result was lighter, healthier, and more flavorful than a traditional pancake or waffle. With his grandmother’s memory guiding him, Haney named the brand Heavenly Waffles. “If there’s a heaven, they’d serve these there,” he says with a smile.

A Product with Purpose

What began as a simple mix is now expanding into frozen waffles, drizzles, ice cream sandwiches, and savory creations like fennel sausage gravy. But perhaps most remarkable is Heavenly Waffles’ role in the diabetic community. With the support of the Childhood Diabetes Foundation and the Barbara Davis Center in Boulder, Haney has seen his waffles embraced as a diabetic-friendly option. “One father told me his son’s sugars only rose seven points after eating our waffles,” Haney says. “That’s when I realized this was bigger than just breakfast.”

Scaling Nationwide

Today, Heavenly Waffles is served far beyond Haney’s Omaha kitchen. The New York Jets have added them to their training tables. Universities like Tennessee and South Florida serve them to student athletes. Upscale restaurants, including Kansas City’s Grand Fallon, feature them on brunch menus. Retail distribution is scaling rapidly, with Heavenly Waffles entering Costco, Whole Foods, and Sprouts in regional rollouts across the U.S. “Our goal is to be on shelves in every major retailer worldwide,” Haney says.

Looking Ahead

For Haney, the creative process is never finished. “The recipes I love most are the ones I haven’t thought of yet,” he says. Whether it’s a cranberry bread pudding made with frozen waffles or an entirely new drizzle flavor, his work blends artistry, resilience, and purpose.

From the stove beside his grandmother to the global stage, Bob Haney’s story is one of reinvention and redemption. His journey underscores an enduring truth: the most meaningful legacies are born from both struggle and creativity.

Interview Transcript

Alan Olsen: This is Alan Olsen, and welcome to American Dreams. My guest today is Bob Haney—actually, I should say Chef Bob Haney. He is the founder and creator of Heavenly Waffles. Bob, welcome to today’s show.

Bob Haney: Alan, thanks so much for having me. I really appreciate it.

Alan Olsen: You have a unique background. Can you tell the listeners your story of how you got started in your career?

Bob Haney: Oh, my goodness. It goes back to when I was about four years old. One of my earliest memories is standing on the step stool next to the stove, helping my grandmother make Thanksgiving gravy. That’s where my love for cooking—and my passion for creating interesting products—started. I’m from Omaha, Nebraska, a huge Cornhusker fan, and when I was four or five I’d take Triscuits with a little cheese, put them in the oven with a pickle slice on top, and make little hors d’oeuvres for Nebraska games. That’s kind of where it all started.

Alan Olsen: Let’s jump into the transition—you also did a little bit of fashion.

Bob Haney: I did. I modeled for 15 years all over the world. I lived in Kansas City for 13 of those years. I started with regional work—Denver, Dallas, the Jones Store—then a buddy moving to Chicago encouraged me to come get an agent. I visited seven agencies; none would represent me because my portfolio was mostly catalog and they wanted editorial. Marie Anderson Boyd—who discovered Cindy Crawford—looked through my book and said, “Why don’t you go to Miami to test, build your book, and then come back?” I went to Miami a month later, met Egon von Fürstenberg, and wound up in Milan about three weeks after that.

All the things I’ve been through prepared me for where I am now. For example, the first casting I walked into in Milan, Elton John and Gianni Versace were sitting there. I thought, “Am I being punked? I am way out of my league.” But that experience prepared me for later moments—like walking into the Chick-fil-A headquarters to present my product. We’re the only company in Chick-fil-A history to approach them and then be invited into their test kitchen.

I got sober about 23 years ago. The modeling industry was fast-paced; I did a lot of drugs. It’s a miracle I’m alive. I’d tried to quit drinking three times—through rehab and on my own—and couldn’t. One morning I came to and thought: I’m going to end up in jail or dead, or I’m going to hurt somebody in an accident. In a nanosecond it was like God put His hand on my shoulder and took the compulsion to drink away. Twenty-three years later, here I am. When I got sober, I could fulfill God’s plan for me—doing what I’m doing now.

I moved back to Omaha. I’d retired from modeling about two and a half years earlier after working in Athens, Madrid, Barcelona, Vienna, Milan, New York, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco. Back in Omaha, my grandmother—my rock and foundation—was a big influence. I’m the product of 10 marriages and nine divorces between three parents, with alcoholism and abuse in the mix. My love and passion for cooking came from her.

I cooked a pancake-crêpe recipe using ingredients from both my grandma’s and my mom’s pancake recipes—one of which was sour cream. One day there wasn’t any sour cream in the fridge, but there was yogurt. I thought, “That’ll work.” That original recipe morphed into Heavenly Waffles. It all happened because of God and my grandmother.

Alan Olsen: How did you come up with the Heavenly Waffles name?

Bob Haney: Because my grandmother is in heaven. I would say, “If there is a heaven, they serve these there.” My wife and I looked at each other and said, “Heavenly Waffles.”

Alan Olsen: Are you simply about waffles, or do you have other products?

Bob Haney: We’re working on premade frozen items, and we’ll have a line of drizzles—chai-spice honey butter, black raspberry purée, sea-salt caramel, salted fudge, Bananas Foster drizzle, peanut-butter whip. I do all kinds of things, including a fennel sausage gravy I’d love to market and sell one day, plus premade frozen Heavenly Waffle ice-cream sandwiches.

Alan Olsen: Which product or dish do you enjoy most creating?

Bob Haney: Honestly, the ones I haven’t thought of yet. The other day I made a bread pudding using six-month-old frozen Heavenly Waffles. I made a Grand Monet simple syrup with orange zest, simmered cranberries in it, added diced bananas, tossed it all together, and baked a Heavenly Waffle cranberry bread pudding. It was so good—and brand new to me. The creations I’ve yet to make are my favorites.

Alan Olsen: I understand you have a connection with the diabetes community. Are these waffles diabetic-friendly?

Bob Haney: They are. Our CEO’s nine-year-old son—ten now—is a type-one diabetic. I’m not diabetic, and I hadn’t had diabetics tell me they were friendly until about a year ago, when we leaned into it because his son, Gabe, would eat Heavenly Waffles and have no—or nominal—spike in his sugars. We work with 93.7 The Ticket, a radio station in Lincoln, Nebraska—shoutout to Derek Pearson. At an event, a man showed me his phone and said, “My sugars only went up seven points after eating your Heavenly Waffles.” That’s when we started gathering data and leaning in. We now partner with the Childhood Diabetes Foundation in Denver and the Barbara Davis Center in Boulder.

Alan Olsen: Where can people find out more about Heavenly Waffles? You have a lot going on.

Bob Haney: We do. Our mix is in restaurants all over. The New York Jets serve Heavenly Waffles to players and coaches. The University of Tennessee and the University of South Florida serve them to athletes. Coffee shops and restaurants carry them—the Grand Fallon on the Plaza in Kansas City serves our waffles for chicken-and-waffles and weekend brunch. We launched into retail about five months ago and started a Costco road show about a month and a half ago—Kansas City, then Lincoln, and a Northwest regional tour in Seattle, Boise, Billings, Portland, and Salt Lake City in January, February, and March. We’re also targeting mainstream retailers like Whole Foods and Sprouts, with Wegmans, Kroger, and more to follow. Our goal is to be in every retailer in the world.

Alan Olsen: Many of our followers are on Facebook, Instagram, and other social media. Do you have channels they can follow?

Bob Haney: Definitely. We have Heavenly Waffles on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and a YouTube channel. Check us out—there’s a lot of inspiration on Instagram and Facebook. If there’s a recipe you want, send me a direct message and I’ll send it to you.

Alan Olsen: It’s so fun watching you scale and build the community. Bob, I appreciate you being with us here on American Dreams today.