From NYC Fashion to Laguna Beach Cookies: Meet Karen Sachs of Laguna Cookie Queen
Karen Sachs spent more than 35 years in New York City working in fashion, styling editorial shoots, designing handbags and dressing private clients. These days, you'll find her in Laguna Beach, baking chocolate chunk cookies finished with pink salt and edible flower petals.
It's quite the career change, but one that's beginning to pay off in a big way.
Since launching Laguna Cookie Queen in November 2025, Karen has turned a longtime hobby into a growing small business, with her signature Salted Bloom cookies finding their way into local coffee shops, custom gift boxes and, most recently, all seven Zucker's Bagels locations in New York City.
And yes, she's still baking and packaging the cookies herself.
A New Chapter in Laguna Beach
Karen moved to Laguna Beach in 2019 after spending much of her adult life in New York City. With her two sons largely grown and a successful fashion career behind her, she was ready for a change.
Laguna wasn't an unfamiliar place. Growing up in Los Angeles, she'd spent weekends here as a young girl and had always held onto those memories.
"Moving to Laguna Beach was 'coming home' in a sense, but just not to LA," she says.
She was drawn to the town's creative personality, its mix of longtime families and newcomers, and the variety of interesting people who call Laguna home.
"And of course, the beaches, the ocean, the natural beauty never ceases to astound me and bring me joy."
Before moving west, Karen had built a career as a stylist in New York City, working on fashion editorial and advertising shoots before expanding into television, film and personal styling. She also created her own handbag line, which was sold in stores across the country. Today, she still offers a small collection of her original designs through TruTru Design.
While her professional life revolved around fashion, Karen had another creative outlet at home: baking.
For years, she'd been experimenting with cookie recipes and sharing the results with friends and family, who happily volunteered as taste testers.
Then, in 2025, she found herself at a professional crossroads and started thinking about what she wanted her next chapter to look like.
"I thought I’d love to do something that simply brings a smile to a person’s face," she recalls. "Who doesn’t smile when you offer them a cookie, and a pretty one at that? It's a pure form of delivering joy and beauty."
That idea eventually became Laguna Cookie Queen.
As for the name? It came out of a brainstorming session, and once they landed on it, Karen knew it was right.
"Laguna tells the story and Cookie Queen is confident and playful… it has a little wink which is exactly the spirit I wanted."
The Salted Bloom: A Chocolate Chunk Cookie With a Little Couture
At the center of Laguna Cookie Queen is the Salted Bloom, Karen's signature gourmet chocolate chunk cookie.
The recipe calls for premium French butter, pasture-raised eggs, organic flour and sugars, Madagascar vanilla and a carefully balanced mix of dark and milk chocolate. Karen uses different sizes of chocolate chunks throughout each cookie, along with a few secret ingredients she's keeping to herself.
Each one is finished by hand with pink salt and edible floral petals.
The result is a cookie that looks a little more dressed up than the traditional chocolate chip variety, which is entirely intentional.
Karen describes her creations as "Cookies With a Little Couture," a nod to the fashion career that shaped her eye for presentation.
"My career was spent deciding what makes something feel elevated: the right materials, the right proportion - the details that add to the whole look," she explains. "Laguna Cookie Queen cookies reflect that same eye. Then the ingredients speak for themselves."
That attention to detail extends beyond the cookies themselves. From the floral finishing touches to the packaging, Karen wants her cookies to feel just as appropriate on a beautifully set dinner table as they do next to a morning cup of coffee.
And perhaps that's what makes her transition from fashion to baking less surprising than it first sounds. She's still creating something beautiful. She's just working with different materials.
From Laguna Beach Back to New York City
In September 2026, Karen's two worlds came together when she returned to New York City for a monthlong collaboration with Zucker's Bagels.
The partnership had a personal connection. Zucker's owner, Matt, is a longtime friend from Karen's days raising her sons in Tribeca. After trying her cookies and seeing what she was building in Laguna Beach, he approached her about introducing them to his customers.
Karen spent September working in Zucker's commercial kitchen, baking cookies and hosting tastings in the stores.
Her Salted Bloom cookies launched at all seven Zucker's locations and were added to the company's catering offerings.
And the response?
"My cookies sold out within 2 weeks!" she says.
For a business that had launched less than a year earlier, it was an exciting milestone. It also gave Karen an unexpected opportunity to bring a little piece of her new hometown back to the city where she'd spent so much of her life.
"The Laguna name has some clout!" she jokes.
Karen says there's more to come with the Zucker's partnership, although she's keeping the details under wraps for now.
Gourmet Cookies and Custom Gifts in Orange County
Closer to home, Laguna Cookie Queen is carving out a place in Orange County's local food and gifting scene.
Her cookies are currently sold at several Laguna Beach businesses, including Laguna Coffee Company and Abode Laguna. Karen also takes private orders for celebrations, events and gifts, with delivery available throughout Orange County by arrangement.
The Salted Bloom's pretty presentation makes it particularly well suited for gifting. Karen offers custom packaging with ribbon colors, personalized stickers and gift notes, along with loose cookies for dessert platters and larger gatherings.
They're an option for everything from hostess gifts and birthday parties to corporate gifting, holiday celebrations and real estate closing gifts.
Karen is also hoping to connect with more local caterers and event planners who might want to incorporate Laguna Cookie Queen into weddings, parties and special events.
Despite the growing list of opportunities, the business remains very much a one-woman operation.
Karen currently bakes from her Laguna Beach kitchen under a cottage food license, personally handling everything from mixing the dough to packaging and delivering orders.
She's participated in several pop-ups, baking multiple dozens of cookies for events, and hopes to do more as the business grows.
She's also been working on a new flavor featuring cherries, chocolate and oats. Early samples have been popular with her regular customers, and she plans to announce its availability soon.
What's Next for Laguna Cookie Queen?
Karen has plenty of ideas for what could come next, including one that feels particularly fitting for Laguna Beach.
She'd love to partner with a local hotel to offer her cookies during afternoon coffee service or as an in-room amenity for guests.
"A beautifully made cookie is exactly the kind of small luxury that makes a stay memorable and its a natural fit with the creative charm of Laguna," she says.
It's the type of collaboration that would bring together her love of thoughtful presentation, hospitality and the town she now calls home.
For now, though, Karen seems to be enjoying the process of building something entirely different from her previous career.
"People just seem to love that I started a cookie business - and then they try them and rave!" she says.
From fashion shoots in Manhattan to baking cookies in Laguna Beach, it's been an unexpected path. But Karen's eye for detail and love of creating beautiful things haven't changed.
Only now, they're edible.
How to Order Laguna Cookie Queen Cookies
Laguna Cookie Queen cookies are homemade and baked to order in Laguna Beach, with local pickup and delivery available.
To place an order, send Karen a direct message on Instagram at @lagunacookiequeen. She also welcomes inquiries about custom cookie boxes, corporate gifts and special events.
For orders requiring personalized packaging, she recommends reaching out at least 10 days in advance.
Visit lagunacookiequeen.com for more information and follow along on Instagram for upcoming pop-ups, new flavors and ordering updates.