The entrepreneur was busy raising her children and being a good neighbor. While baking her children's favorite cookies and muffins she would often bake a little extra for her friends and neighbors.
One day she was asked by a friend if she could start making her creations for a weekly corporate event. And her baking time increased dramatically.
The Yale graduate didn't start out baking nor was the notion of baking even part of her potential career.
Instead she wanted to make films of importance.
After graduating Schaffer went to New York City where she landed a position at a advertising company where she worked for two years.
But she missed her hometown.
"I missed Woodbridge. The town is in my blood," she said.
Once home she developed her own marketing company. And from there she opened Onward Bound, a clothing store for women and children on upper State Street in New Haven. In 1990 she moved the shop to Chapel Street and would bring her growing family to the shop with her.
"It was a tough time 1990 to 1995 on Chapel Street and the kids were starting to go to school so I decided to be a stay-at -home mom for a few years. And I vowed that my next venture would be something I make myself," she said.
In the late '90s she started baking professionally and would take her goods to The Amity Meat Market, Whitneyville Food Center and Brookside Market where they would be snatched up.
"Those three businesses have been very good to me all these years, Schaffer said.
Four Flours Bakery makes a variety of scrumptious cookies, gourmet muffins and specialty items. Additionally, Schaffer offers various online order options such as the College Cookie Club where you can order monthly or for the entire school year. Your college student will automatically receive two 1-pound packages of cookies every month.
Ultimately, Schaffer said she wants to go direct to customers via her Web site and develop more corporate accounts
Schaffer doesn't spend all of her time baking. She is active civically. She was the Civic chairwoman of the Woodbridge Road Race for five years during the time the course became an official sanctioned course. She was also involved with starting the Beecher Road Runners Club with Chris Dickerson. And her grandfather, Ted Clark, was first selectman in town for 28 years.
To learn more about Schaffer and her business visit her Web site at www.fourflours.com.