If your sweetheart is tiring of the same heart-shaped box of chocolates year after year, Etsy seller Gene Chin suggests a different type of Valentine’s Day dessert.
At her shop, The Macaron Queen, Chin makes macarons, chewy French meringue cookies with light, wafery texture and a myriad of flavor options, from vanilla to lavender. A health center manager in Rochester, Michigan, Chin said she began baking macarons (which differ from macaroons) in her free time to relax.
“Making macarons is like making an art. They are just so pretty, almost too pretty to eat!” she told the Daily Dot in an email.
Chin, who opened her Etsy shop only three months ago, is offering limited edition macarons she says are the perfect Valentine’s Day gift. With heart shaped fondant topping, her passion fruit and rose pastries resonate with the holiday.
“The heart-shaped macarons are perfect for valentine’s day because they are sweets that can melt anybody’s heart. I picked red and pink as those are the colors known internationally as the colors of love,” she said.
Love is certainly an ongoing theme in Chin’s experience so far as a seller on Etsy. She’s built friendly relationships with other sellers by joining Etsy Teams, groups of similar sellers with common interests. At her shop, she becomes a part of customers’ loving gift-giving processes:
“Most of my orders are gifts for people that the buyers care for. And majority of them will ask to include a note to show that they are thinking about them. Being a part of this brings this experience as a seller to a whole different level. I am not just selling a box of dessert, I’m also delivering a love note whether it is to spouse, parents or friends. It is a very meaningful task.”
For her own Valentine’s Day celebrations, Chin plans to carve out time from her day job and her busy baking schedule to spend quality time with her boyfriend.
“[A] hectic schedule makes it difficult to enjoy a dinner together, but on Valentine’s day there’s no excuse,” she said.