Every part of Lauren’s macarons, including sprinkles, are homemade. Photo submitted by Lauren ForsythSophomore Lauren Forsyth still remembers the smell of cupcakes wafting through the kitchen where she and her grandmother always baked. The time she spent with her grandmother in the kitchen fostered her fondness for baking. In seventh grade, she began selling macarons, french confections that come in countless flavors and colors.
According to Lauren, macarons aren’t easy to make. When searching for macaron recipes, they all have at least sixteen steps, and it’s estimated the entire process can take up two hours even if everything goes perfectly.
Lauren said she prepares macarons for charity events to give back to the community and expand her business.
“Sometimes I’ll give them to fundraisers and it helps spread the word out,” Lauren said.
Lauren has run her business almost entirely independently since she first started. She only received help once when her father helped her determine the prices of the macarons based on how much she spent on ingredients.
Lauren doesn’t only sell her macarons she also gives them away.
Once, she gave macarons to a friend who was sick so she could feel better. Her friend had missed school for several days and Lauren felt bad. She knew her friend craved her delectable macarons, so she brought them to her house. Lauren talks to people through Instagram or email when someone is interested in her services. She caters for a wide variety of events, including weddings, baby showers and birthday parties.
Her first large order was 200 macarons for a wedding. She was overwhelmed to say the least. She had to throw out two batches of macarons because she had made a mistake while making them. She wondered what had gone wrong. She might have put too little flower or over whipped the egg whites. The macarons could’ve even baked wrong in the oven.
She stayed home from school and worked 16 hours straight by herself to finish on time. She started baking at 7:30 a.m. and finished at 11:30 p.m., not taking breaks even for water.
“I was probably dehydrated after baking the entire day,” Lauren said.
After high school, Lauren plans on attending Johnson and Wales, a culinary business school. She wants to be prepared for one day she can open a legitimate business.
“I’ve always liked the idea of being on my own and starting something up, ” Lauren said.
