By Allie Mehojah
Carys Fouser, a junior at La Cueva High School, has always loved to bake. And when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she decided to start her very own macaron business. Carys Bakes Macs started off as a hobby during the lockdown in 2020, and grew into a successful venture with almost 32,000 followers on Instagram.
Fouser’s passion for baking came from her grandmother, whom she baked with as a kid. When the world went into lockdown, Fouser decided to try making one of the hardest French desserts to master: the macaron.
Macarons require precision and a delicate hand, and they are very sensitive to humidity. They have to be baked at just the right temperature and are easily burned if not watched carefully. After many trials and errors, she found a recipe that seemed to work every time.
Each order is fully customizable, and many customers give her candy flavors or different drinks as inspiration for the cookies. Some of these include red velvet, strawberry cheesecake, poprocks, and many more.
Some requests may seem a little odd such as, Cherry Ripes and Lamington, two Australian desserts, but Fouser can make it happen. She also decorates all the cookies very intricately by hand including designs such as: Winnie the Pooh, aliens from Toy Story, and gingerbread houses for the holidays.
Fouser’s passion for baking came from her grandmother, whom she baked with as a kid. When the world went into lockdown, Fouser decided to try making one of the hardest French desserts to master: the macaron.
Macarons require precision and a delicate hand, and they are very sensitive to humidity. They have to be baked at just the right temperature and are easily burned if not watched carefully. After many trials and errors, she found a recipe that seemed to work every time.
Each order is fully customizable, and many customers give her candy flavors or different drinks as inspiration for the cookies. Some of these include red velvet, strawberry cheesecake, poprocks, and many more.
Some requests may seem a little odd such as, Cherry Ripes and Lamington, two Australian desserts, but Fouser can make it happen. She also decorates all the cookies very intricately by hand including designs such as: Winnie the Pooh, aliens from Toy Story, and gingerbread houses for the holidays.
One of the hardest parts of being a business owner, student, and a club volleyball player, is finding the right balance. Fouser said the most helpful thing she’s found is “sticky notes all over.” She puts them around her room to remember important assignments, orders, and practices.
Fouser spends around 10 hours per week preparing and sending out orders. Customers can choose to either pick up the cookies from her house or she will personally deliver them for no extra fee. One dozen costs $30, and a half dozen costs $15. An average order is around seven or eight dozen macarons, and she can take on three to four orders per week. One of her biggest orders consisted of 50 dozen macarons and seven different flavors. Fouser uses the profits to save up for college.
Starting a business can seem like an impossible task, however, Fouser said one of the best ways to get into it is by “consistently posting, and finding your own community.” Fouser is part of a community of macaron bakers who helped her when she was first starting out, with different tips and tricks with the baking and the business.
Carys Bakes Macs has helped Fouser grow as a person, to become more disciplined and grateful for the things she has and what she has accomplished. Fouser is unsure if she’ll be able to continue her business through college, but she hopes to continue it once she graduates.