Shari's Berries Shares in our Love of Macarons and more

Bonjour friends,

A fellow adoring fan of Parisian pastries at Shari's Berries reached out to Les Mesdames at the beginning of this year to share this most incredible and delightful info-graph. Julissa from Shari's Berries shares here, her love of macarons with the Macaron Ladies...

Macaron Ladies: When did you first try a Parisian Macaron? What did you think?

Julissa: I first tried a macaron about 8 years ago. A box was given to me as a gift and I became obsessed ever since. My initial reaction to them was that they were beautifully made colorful cookies, but didn't imagine that the taste could be just as pleasing. But it definitely was. I remember when the first Ladurée opened up in New York a couple of years after that, it was madness. I would visit the bakery at least once a week!

ML: Assuming you've had both, which do you prefer, macarons or macaroons?

J: It really depends on the mood. If I am reading a book or watching a movie, I could probably eat a whole batch of macaroons. With macarons, each flavor is so distinct that I prefer to enjoy only a couple at a time. 

ML: Do you bake? If so, what is your favorite item to create in the kitchen?

J: I do bake, but I'm pretty horrible at it. The only things I've really mastered are chocolate chip cookies and muffins, specifically pumpkin. Every time I try to get really creative with baking, it flops. So I just to stick to the basics and thankfully my co-workers haven't complained. Maybe I'll surprise them one day with something more adventurous.    

ML: Of all of the macaron flavors you've tried, what is your favorite?

J: My go-to is a pistachio macaron, with rose petal being a close second. Recently I tried a cookie dough macaron and I was pretty impressed. 

Thank you and Merci to the very friendly Julissa from Shari's Berries!

To see the info graph follow this link: Macarons Vs Macarons by Shari's Berries and learn the difference between macarons and macaroOns!

Interview with the logo Artist

Mike Regan, little brother to Mesdames Owner/Baker Katy Acheson, took on the monuments task of creating the Mesdames Logo.  To get to know the brain behind the beauty (the lady in the logo, of course), Katy asked Mike a few questions she thought you might enjoy the answers to:

You're officially one of the Mesdames Des Macarons, that's quite an honor. How does that make you feel?
- It's actually kind of exhilarating! When I started doodling out logo ideas for Mesdames des Macarons, I hadn't thought of it as much more than a favor for my sister, but as I see her dream grow I see my experience doing freelance illustration work grow. I can't wait to see what other projects Katy conjures up for me!

Where do you draw (no pun intended) your inspiration?
- A lot of it is looking at other artists, such as Steve Purcell, Doug TenNapel and Jeff Smith and anything from great movies, like the Good, the Bad and the Ugly (my favorite), to books to video games. If I find something striking and eye catching I almost always end up doodling it and trying to incorporate it to new projects!

Do you have a favorite artist(s)?
- Too many! I swear I find a new favorite artist every day. Like I said above: Steve Purcell, Doug TenNapel and Jeff Smith are some of my favorites. Others who stick out are Katsuya Tarada, Skottie Young, and Anthony Clark (a great guy to look at for simple, but brilliant art).

When Mesdames Des Macarons gets a shop, will you help decorate the shop with your paintings?
- Heck yeah! That is, assuming any of my personal paintings are classy enough.

Tell us a little about yourself, where are you?
- I'm Michael Regan and I'm at home.

How is school? Tell us what you're studying right now.
- School's going well! My illustration professors, while a little crazy, are amazingly helpful. In this past month alone, I've gotten better with anatomy than I had all of last year!

What is your favorite meal of the day?
- The one I remember to eat. So half a bag of Doritos.

What is your favorite sweet treat? (You don't have to say macaron, but...)
- Macarons. Also, sour patch kids.

Out of the macarons you've tried, what is your favorite flavor?
- The green and pink ones! (he's referring to our summer favorite, Lime Ricky)

What is your favorite Holiday? What do you think would be the best tasting Macaron flavor for that holiday?
- Halloween wins if only because it always have the best atmosphere. Are pumpkin spice macarons possible?

Any new flavor suggestions?
- Tron blue raspberry! That'd probably require a lot of dangerous chemicals to get that glow-in-the-dark effect, though.

If you're interested in seeing more of Mike's artwork or would like to work with him on a design project, you can contact him directly via his email address: M.PatrickRegan@gmail.com

Mesdames' Katy Acheson Interviewed with CakeSpy.com

Jessie of CakeSpy.com posted her interview with M des M's Katy Acheson after the two emailed back and forth, gushing over their mutual love of macarons.

Check out the sweet interview here.