Galina Laffer grew up in Ukraine and emigrated to the U.S. alone at the age of 19. As a child, she experienced the love of her grandmothers Rosie and Rita while baking. This also served as a means of escape from life’s harsh realities. She brought with her the cup, and spoon she used to measure every ingredient in her handwritten recipe book.
Galina knew that many moms were just too busy to bake from scratch, so she would do it for them in her spare time, so their children could experience the same love she did. In 2016, she found an opportunity to turn her hobby into her full-time passion.
In 2016 Galina bought Rosie’s, an iconic, award-winning bakery that was named a Best of Boston Hall of Fame winner. With the purchase came an award-winning cookbook — and a best-seller on QVC. Rosie’s Bakery shared the same name as her grandmother and used the same approach: everything from scratch, clean, fresh and simple ingredients. These baked goods recreated the same the unconditional love she experienced while baking with her grandmothers, and she knew it was the perfect opportunity to carry on both legacies.
The idea is simple: bake desserts that produce an aroma, taste and texture that reminds us of the childhood experience of eating a freshly baked cookie from a loved one. Whether a child or adult, all of us need to give the child within us a treat, so we know we are loved and cared for. If everyone could experience the purity of this kind of love, the world would be a better place.
Galina, a single mom, has passed down the tradition, baking with her own small children. Today, Rosie’s Bakery, a woman and immigrant owned company is experiencing great success in Shaw’s and Star Market in the East.