Now that the requisite Beyond the Thunderdome reference is out of the way, let’s get down to business. Mad Macs is the clever name of a new macaron bakery pop-up brought to you by Renee Kinkopf. Her love of these delicate french confectionaries goes beyond skin deep, as recently experienced for the first time by shoppers at the 400 Winter Farmers Market.
“These cookies are delicious, yes, but they are moody little turds,” she explained. “One day, you’ll bake beautiful, shiny shells… the next, every batch will come out cracked and ugly.”
Appearances aside, the consistent factors with Mad Macs macarons are the flavor and the texture, which sing wonderfully upon the very first bite.
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“Being able to share my little, imperfect cookies with customers makes me truly happy,” Kinkopf said. “The encouragement of my friends and family gave me the confidence to make a business of it.”
Kinkopf doesn’t have a formal culinary background, and instead got into baking as a mental release, previously from her college studies and now from her day job as a graphic designer. She decided to share her passion for macarons by setting up at the unique new winter market event last month.
“It was really wonderful getting out and engaging with the community, and all the vendors and people running the market were just tops,” said Kinkopf. “The macarons received great reviews, and it was nice seeing people return for more after their first cookie.”
Macaron flavors sold at the market included Cinnamon Honey, Lemon Cream, Vanilla Salty Caramel and Chocolate Chocolate.
“Other flavors I’ve made in the past include Peanut Chocolate, Pumpkin Spice, and Peppermint Chocolate,” added Kinkopf. “I’m more than happy to experiment with new flavor suggestions.”
For now, Kinkopf has no plans to leave her day job and pursue opening a brick and mortar retail store, but will continue to focus on the mobile business and allow customers to place special orders.
For those who are interested in trying them out, Mad Macs will return to the 400 Winter Farmers Market on Saturday, February 23rd.
More information can be found online at www.facebook.com/pages/Mad-Macs.
