Check Out Allison Vick’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Allison Vick.

Allison, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
After graduating from NC State in 2010, I took a job working with The Cupcake Shoppe in downtown Raleigh (Glenwood South) because I was sure I wanted to be a cake decorator. I was there for a year when my parents really encouraged me to try getting a more steady career, and so I took a corporate job with the company I had studied abroad through, working with their Barcelona programs. My now-husband and I moved to Austin, TX, for what I swore would only be a few years (but ended up being 7 – that city is amazing)! I loved working in international education, but my heart always belonged to the pastry industry.

So after three and a half years at a desk job that I really enjoyed but was ultimately unfulfilled by, I quit my salaried job to start at the bottom in Austin’s restaurant industry. I became a Pastry Cook and an apprentice to an amazing mentor who ended up teaching me well over half of everything I now know. It was exceptionally difficult – the hours were wild and it was a graveyard shift, and I was making barely enough to help with the rent. But I was learning so much, and my mentor really pushed me to practice things outside of our work that we weren’t experimenting with. That’s how I landed on macarons! My first batch was abysmal, but I didn’t know it then – I was so proud that I made one of the pastry’s trickiest treats. I kept making more and more for friends and working on tough flavors and shapes. I’m extremely type-A and, unfortunately, also a Taurus (bad combo), so I often get unrealistically frustrated when things don’t go perfectly the very first time I do them. But that never happened with macarons. It was love at first bite, and I never looked back!

Eventually, I worked my way up from Pastry Cook to Pastry Sous and became the Executive Pastry Chef at an incredible Italian restaurant in Austin. It felt like I belonged to a true working family, but I knew that I didn’t want to be in the restaurant industry forever. It’s an amazing environment, but it’s really tough, and if I was going to put all of my energy into something, I wanted it to be my own. My husband and I decided to move back home to North Carolina when our son was born (it really DOES take a village, and all of ours is here), and it seems like the perfect time to launch Little Blue Macaron. I started from scratch and had no idea how to form a business – from the paperwork to securing a kitchen – but I figured it out with help from family, friends, and new acquaintances within the industry. I managed to get into an ongoing Farmer’s Market in Cary, which helped me get my name out there. I secured a few wholesale clients, focused on my custom work for private clients, and continued to grow.

While the pandemic (plus adding a daughter to our little family) threw a wrench in how we were operating in 2020, we were able to pivot from pop-ups and markets to focus on wholesale and private work. And we are beyond privileged to have family supporting us with child care and extra hands whenever needed. My husband Carl is now full-time, taking over most managing operations and paperwork (along with being a top-notch macaron filler), and working together has been really great for us both professionally and personally. We’re determined to continue growing Little Blue Macaron and making sure Raleigh and the surrounding areas have access to the best macarons they can get their hands on!

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Balancing work life with family life is by far the biggest challenge that I face. It’s a daily struggle. We have two really little ones at home (ages 3.5 and 1), and having to explain why we won’t be there for dinner or why we weren’t there when they got up – because we had or have a massive day at the kitchen or have to run around to put out fires – breaks my heart every time. We currently take off two days a week so that we can all spend time together as a family, and that recharges me for the week ahead, but that particular struggle never ends. Thankfully we have a team of family members that support us with child care, so we know they are in the best hands possible.

I’ve also struggled with wearing too many hats. I tend to take on all of the work unless someone stops me, which can be a lot to bear. Thankfully my husband has done a tremendous job since joining our small business full-time, and he forces me to redirect tasks to him or other people on our team that can handle it. My stress level has gone way down, and I have so much more energy to put in other areas.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
All of my macarons are colorful and unique in terms of design and flavor, but I’m definitely most known for the custom artwork I can do on the shells. I either hand paint intricate, small images on the shells, or I can create cookies in the shape of an image. I’ve done Pooh Bears, pandas, Star Wars characters, hedgehogs… if you can dream it, I can make it! Custom work is my bread-and-butter, and my clients always have the most creative ideas.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Aside from offering macarons that are always gluten-free, we also specialize in dairy-free and fully vegan macarons as well. We hope to offer nut-free macarons in the future (although we’ll always be a facility that processes nut products, given macarons are made with almond flour). We try to accommodate everyone’s needs and ideas as best as possible, so we always want everyone to fill welcome to reach out!

Pricing:

• Standard Macarons – $2.50 each, or $27 dozen
• Vegan Macarons – $2.75 each, or $30 dozen
• Custom Hand Painted Macarons – start at $3.00, but price depends on intricacy
• Custom Shaped Macarons – start at $4.00, but price depends on intricacy

Contact Info:

• Email: littlebluemacaron@gmail.com
• Website: www.littlebluemacaron.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/littlebluemacaron
• Facebook: Facebook.com/littlebluemacaron

Image Credits
For the first image submitted (woman with braid and blue apron holding out a blue macaron box, against a white brick wall). That image should be credited to Linda Nguyen of Curious Notions Photo.