Daria Artem

Who knew that General Tsao, Kung Pao and Moo Shu could spark a national sensation? While celebrating her birthday at a Chinese restaurant, entrepreneur Daria Artem stumbled upon a million dollar idea. After heaping dishes of lo mein and bowls of wonton soup, she eagerly waited for her fortune cookie to arrive, hoping that its message would set the stage for the upcoming year. When it came, she considered her fortune and asked her friends gathered around the table, “How about a GIANT fortune cookie? Imagine if you could give someone a personalized fortune cookie as a gift?” She and her friends brainstormed for a while. They discussed the history of the fortune cookie, and not one person knew their origin. She later learned that they had been introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese, and enjoyed by Americans in restaurants across the country. Daria remembered the Billy Wilder film, The Fortune Cookie; a huge hit in 1960 starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. She emerged from the restaurant that night with plans to revamp and perfect the fortune cookie business by adding a twist. She would make them very fancy, dress them up and fill them with beautiful personalized messages. Daria has since built a confectionary empire, expanding into cookie baskets, candies, corporate gifts, wedding treats and anything that can be dipped in chocolate or frosting and rolled in colorful sprinkles. Visit www.ladyfortunes.com With an unwavering drive to succeed, Lady Fortunes, Inc., was destined to become the nation’s premier cookie company. And it has. Since its founding, Daria has expanded into a $4.5 million business that offers an impressive variety of sweets and baked goods using wholesome ingredients. Perfected by trained confectionary artisans, the delightful, made-to-order treats boast decadent flavors including caramel toffee chocolate, dark and milk chocolate, coconut, and peanut butter drizzle. Her crispy rice bars, sugar cookies, fudgy brownies, marshmallows and pretzels are decorated with hand-crafted edible royal icing that can be customized with photos or logos. Lady Fortunes’ outstanding one-on-one ordering system makes each customer’s experience pleasant and memorable. Unique and versatile for any occasion, gifts arrive beautifully packaged and are guaranteed to be delivered fresh. With a client list that includes Eva Longoria, Oprah Winfrey and John Travolta, Lady Fortunes keeps delighted customers coming back for more. Lady Fortunes was not Ms. Artem’s first foray into entrepreneurship. After graduating with a triple major in Business Law, Business Management, and Biology at California State University, Northridge, she and a team formed Artem PR, which offered dynamic Public Relations and Marketing services for a diverse clientele. She later incorporated her cookie creations into her marketing business by baking batches to give to prospective clients. Soon, clients were requesting baked goods for birthdays, anniversaries, and even weddings. Daria realized that there was an untapped opportunity baking right in her kitchen. She put on her apron full time and established Lady Fortunes in 2004. Lady Fortunes’ desserts have been enjoyed in the White House, at events at the Library of Congress, at the Emmy Awards®, during Oscar® after-parties, on the Ellen Degeneres Show, The Today Show, and have been featured in magazines from InStyle to Better Homes and Gardens. Lady Fortunes’ products are available online and through upscale retailers including Dylan’s Candy Bar, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Henri Bendel. As a CEO, Chief Confectionary Officer and mother of two who still celebrates birthdays over Chinese food and asks for extra cookies, Daria Artem’s passion for creating keeps her company at the forefront of innovation and success. She is active in her community, supporting non-profit organizations including Make-a-Wish Foundation, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure. She loves the outdoors, and can be found hiking in the beautiful California mountains with her family, or coasting along the sea on her motorcycle with the breeze in her hair and thoughts of chocolate covered everything and anything on her mind. WWW.LADYFORTUNES.COM Media Inquires: For additional information about LADYFORTUNES.COM, or to schedule an interview with Daria Artem, please call Alexandra Sugar at (323)-849-6949