Legally Addictive Foods Founder Laura Shafferman Sweetens the Work Environment
By Meg Hale Brunton
The term “smart cookie” would be a fitting description for founder and co-owner of Legally Addictive Foods (LAF) Laura Shafferman. Not only did she take a family-favorite recipe and turn it into a thriving business — she did it all as a solution for a negative work environment that, abruptly, took a turn for the worse.
After graduating from Hofstra University in New York with a communications degree, Laura traveled and worked in Latin America for four years. She worked in various teaching jobs at bilingual schools in Argentina, Mexico City, and Colombia before returning to New York City to work in residential real estate. She eventually transitioned into real estate development marketing. Though she loved the social interactions with clients, Laura found the work environment to be toxic.
After witnessing her boss go through what she refers to as a “mini scandal,” the group fell apart, and Laura was laid off. Even though she was not associated with the scandal, Laura was held to a non-compete agreement. This meant that, for at least a year, Laura could not get any kind of job in her field. Instead of feeling sorry for herself, Laura took this as an opportunity to pursue the possibility of starting her own business. A friend of hers was organizing a holiday market and suggested Laura participate in it as a food vendor.
Laura had always made a special type of cookie for get-togethers with her friends, which combined crackers, toffee and chocolate. They were consistently a big hit, and her friend suggested she make a few batches to sell at the market. Laura did, and they sold out in no time. She says many people have a recipe for this type of cookie, often referred to as “Christmas Crack,” but she couldn’t find anywhere where they were sold. “No one was making these commercially,” Laura says of the cookies. She also opted to use Couverture chocolate instead of chocolate chips, and real toffee as opposed to simple syrup, which most recipes call for. Laura called her version of the cookie “The O.G.”
Laura’s products were then chosen to be a part of Dylan’s Candy Bar’s Best of New York assortment. Knowing she had a lot to learn about the business, Laura partnered with Dylan’s. She credits them with teaching her all about packaging, billing, and other business basics. Within a year and a half, Legally Addictive Foods had products in markets and coffee shops across the state.
Five months later, Laura met her future partner Seth. His background was in operations for television productions, including 13 seasons of the show Chopped. “He brought a very organized skill set that I did not have,” she admits, adding that she struggles with ADHD. “It was a perfect match.” The two became partners, both professionally and romantically, and were married in October of 2021.
By 2020, Legally Addictive Foods was being produced out of a 1,000 sq. ft. shared cooking space in Brooklyn. However, this was not sustainable for long-term growth. In Spring of 2022, they moved the company to Weaverville, NC. Laura says that she found the community to be extraordinarily welcoming, especially other food business owners. Now, in its new home, LAF is offering six variations of their signature cookie, as well as other snacks, including two chocolate bars, and a seasonal peppermint crunch bar. They have even collaborated with Spicewalla to create a salted gingerbread cookie, as well as an “Everything” cookie. “You constantly get to learn from other people about their business,” Laura says of partnering with other local businesses. “It’s really rewarding and humbling.”
While she has built LAF from the ground up in a fairly short time, Laura admits it can be hard to sit back and enjoy it. “In the mind of a business owner, you’re just one disaster from ruin,” she says. Despite that, she hopes to continue building what she refers to as a “sweet and salty empire,” and to make the product a national brand and a household name. It is also one of Laura’s personal goals to help other female entrepreneurs succeed, and to continue to help shift the culture to make positive work environments for young women. “A big part of what I, personally, want to do is to mentor other female entrepreneurs in the future,” she says, adding that she found so much comfort and support from other women business-owners in similar industries.
Looking back on where she was just a decade ago, Laura is grateful that she was able to turn her life around. She encourages other female entrepreneurs to reach out to other women in the field, and if possible, to find a mentor. “The most important thing is to make sure you have good, supportive people around you,” she explains. “The people you spend your time with are critical to your success.”
For more information on Laura Shafferman, or Legally Addictive Foods, visit their website: www.legallyaddictivefoods.com