Photos: Nicole Guzzardi
After selling macarons wholesale for three years, Christina Ha and her husband Simon Tung opened the first brick-and-mortar location of Macaron Parlour earlier this afternoon.
The shop offers classic varieties of the French confectionery, like pistachio and lemon, plus unconventional flavors (e.g. honey and cognac), some of which were inspired by junk food. “We really want to stick to things that her and I grew up with, ” Mr. Tung said, citing a s’mores macaron as well as a bacon one with maple cream cheese filling. The store also offers cookies, croissants, and other goodies.
The shop’s story is as sweet as its baked goods. The owners, who got married in April, met at a Halloween party in 2009: she was dressed as Lady Gaga and he, along with his friends, went as a nerd. “She picked me out of all the nerds,” Mr. Tung said proudly.
Ms. Ha attended pastry school at the Institute of Culinary Education and Mr. Tung also worked in the food industry, so they decided to go into business together.
The couple began baking and selling macarons three years ago at places such as Hester Street Fair and the Union Square Holiday Market. While developing a mock business plan for a culinary management class, Ms. Ha realized opening a shop was actually a realistic possibility, and the couple began looking for a space in January.
They settled on St. Marks Place because of its market feel. “It’s a nice neighborhood because this whole street has a bunch of people who have like one single product and they do it really, really well,” Ms. Ha said. “You can stop into so many different places and grab stuff.”
After renovations that included knocking down a wall, they’re finally open for business (Tuesday through Sunday from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.) and will begin offering baking classes at the shop in the next month or two.
Macaron Parlour, 111 St. Marks Place (between First Avenue and Avenue A)
Correction: This post was revised on Oct. 11. Due to an editing error, the original version misstated that Mr. Tung and Ms. Hung were married a couple of weeks ago. They were married in April.
