Doanh Ho didn’t grow up baking. In fact, growing up, her family used the oven for storage. And even though she’s been working in the food industry for the past 15 years, she’s never had any formal culinary training. You’d never know this by looking at her artisan macarons, though.
Through her pop-up Sugarfold, Ho gives the classic dessert a modern take with incredibly elaborate designs and unexpected flavors.
Using the Italian method, which Ho says produces more consistent results, the baker pipes her macarons into themed shapes and characters, similar to customizable sugar cookies that have become all the rage the past few years. Sunflowers, Taylor Swift’s album cover, Pokémon characters—you name it. There doesn’t seem to be any design that’s not within
Ho’s artistic wheelhouse.
Her years of making macarons have made the process faster, but for the more intricate designs, one batch of 25 macarons can take up to eight hours.
The flavors are also unique. Salted caramel is a fan-favorite, but more far-out flavors like sour apple, Fruity Pebbles and Hot Cheetos have all made appearances.
This month, Sugarfold will be popping up at Fetch in the West
Bottoms on Oct. 3 and at Mr. D’s Coffee at the Lenexa Public Market on Oct. 13. Of course, these tantalizing macarons sell out quickly, so go early. You never know what new design Ho might show up with.
