Today we’d like to introduce you to Arianne Abbate.
Arianne, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
The Mac Lab was created by me and one of my best friends, Rebecca. One night in January of 2021, we were having a girl’s night and it was the typical not-so-sober “let’s quit our jobs and start our own business” banter, and Macarons were mentioned in passing. Neither of us have ever made a Macaron in our entire life. I had forgotten we even talked about it, but a couple of days later Rebecca sent me a picture of the first batch of Macarons she ever made. So of course I also had to try making a batch!
Fast forward to a couple weeks later, we were spending multiple days a week together in our kitchens making batches and batches of Macarons until we found our recipe. And that’s when we were like “Okay, I think we can actually make something out of this!” And The Mac Lab was born.
Rebecca will always be a co-founder of The Mac Lab, but sometimes priorities change. While being an incredible manager for a corporate office where we used to work together, she was also expecting a beautiful baby girl. She’s a superwoman!
I became the sole baker for The Mac Lab, and I decided to run with it. As of May 2022, The Mac Lab has produced over 6000 Macarons! It has brought out creativity I did not know I have. Never in a million years would I have ever guessed that this is something I would be doing.
You can find my Macaron booth at the Georgetown Market Days every 2nd Saturday of the month in Downtown Georgetown. I also take custom orders that are picked up from my cottage bakery.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
It has been fairly smooth! Macarons in general are so tricky to make. I have cried so many tears over these finicky little cookies. I could breathe the wrong way while baking and they would come out all lopsided.
At one point, my oven broke down from all the baking I was doing and it could not produce the right quality of Macarons. But I invested in a new oven, and it has been incredible (so far!).
I am also a perfectionist and I know I’m hard on myself sometimes if my Macarons don’t come out perfect. Some days, I get a lot of “Macawrongs” when my shells don’t come out right. I used to get so angry, I would smash them up and toss them in the garbage can. But I decided to make good use out of them by giving them away to friends, neighbors, etc. Most people don’t care if the shells aren’t perfect, as long as it tastes good.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
The Mac Lab is currently a part-time hustle for me. While my dream is to start my own brick-and-mortar Macaron bakery, I still have quite some ways to go before I get there.
I currently work as an Environmental Specialist for the Texas National Guard. I have been working in the Environmental field for 6 years. I have pride in the work I do, ensuring that our military department stays in compliance with local and national environmental regulations. It is an honor to be working with our soldiers. I like to show how thankful I am for what they do by bringing some Macarons to work whenever I can.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I like to think of myself as a risk-taker. Or maybe I’m just impulsive, in a good way! I like to live in the mindset of “If not now, when?”
I have always been business-minded as well. Whatever it was, I just knew I wanted to be a business owner. Over the years I have thought about what I could do, or what am I good at that would be worth the investment? Basically, what am I good at that can make me money! Haha! I’m glad I ended up with Macarons though. I enjoy making them just as much as I enjoy selling them.
Pricing:
- $2.50/each
- $28/dozen
- $15/half-dozen
Contact Info:
- Instagram: instagram.com/themaclabtx
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheMacLabTX/
Image Credits
Love Gray Photography
