Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Richburg .
Hi Laura, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My macaron journey started around 2018 when I would buy them from another local baker. I fell in love with macarons, but then this person moved out of state, and I couldn’t find anyone else that compared. I decided to try to make my own. No loss in that, right? Since they’re known as the hardest cookies to make, I studied everything about making them for a few months before trying. September 2020 was when I made my first set of macarons out of my home kitchen. It all took off from there, and I was a home cottage baker until May 2023, when I got my commercial kitchen space in N. Charleston. In June 2023, I bought a dessert trailer that is now all ready to take out to large events. This is also the only full macaron dessert trailer in all of SC that’s DHEC-approved. I stay booked with custom orders and have 10-12 flavors available weekly, ready to go. Initially, I joked that I would become one of the best and known as the macaron dealer throughout Charleston, and I’ve held to that.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Surprisingly, it has been a mostly smooth road getting to where I’m today. In the beginning, when I was at home, I didn’t have too many orders, but as time went on, I outgrew baking in my kitchen, so I knew I needed a bigger space. I was on a waitlist for a few months for the kitchen I wanted to be at. Once that spot opened up, I took it right away. Since then, I’ve been baking there as often as possible. Finding child care so I can work has been a little challenging, but I have my parents help once a week and then rely on my husband to be at home with the kids two other days each week. I would love to have a storefront; that’s my ultimate goal, but that will need to wait until I find the perfect location, I know my time will come when it’s supposed too.
We’ve been impressed with Charleston Mac Mama, but for folks who might need to be more familiar, what can you share about what you do and what sets you apart?
I specialize in custom French Macarons and offer over 100 flavors. Many of my orders are printed/themed macarons, which sets me apart from anyone else. I offer 10-12 different macarons, all ready to go every day of the week, where they can be picked up in N. Charleston or Summerville. I do a lot of custom business logo macarons, birthday parties, baby showers, engagement parties, weddings, and naughty macarons for bachelor and bachelorette parties. My new mac trailer is about to hit the road and be at the Summerville Italian Feast and the Goose Creek Halloween Carnival. One of the other things that sets me apart from anyone else is that all of my vanilla is homemade, and I wait a minimum of 1 year before using each one so it has the best flavor. I also make my lavender, rose, and coffee extracts.
How do you think about luck?
I believe in good luck and bad luck. I’ve been lucky to have had an easy journey regarding business. I searched for the perfect dessert trailer for a few months with everything being out of budget, and then one popped up that was exactly what I wanted. I was the first to inquire about it and bought it immediately, so I got pretty lucky. I’ve also been lucky to have my dad’s help reconstructing the window and teaching me everything I needed to know about owning a trailer. As far as my personal life, I’ve been very blessed with my husband and two daughters. They’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I tend to have a lot of bad luck at times, but I’ve learned that these things only make me stronger, and I know that I can overcome just about anything thrown my way.
Pricing:
- Macarons are 6 for $16.50 + tax or 1 dozen for $33.00 + tax for any that are available and ready to go on my website. Prices for custom orders, vary.
Contact Info:
- Website: Http://charlestonmacmama.square.site
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/chasmacmama?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chasmacmama?mibextid=ZbWKwL
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@chasmacmama?_t=8f1lNjOlELu&_r=1
