Lindsey Fruge

Health science teacher Tara Parsons has been selling macarons since 2022.

From teaching all day to baking in her kitchen at night and on the weekends, health science teacher Tara Parsons knows how to juggle it all.

For the past few years, Parsons has run her own business selling homemade macarons. She first got started with this in 2020 after watching “The Great British Baking Show” with her husband during quarantine.

“I’ve always loved to bake, and with so much free time, I decided to try something new,” Parsons said. “I randomly chose macarons, despite never having had one before. The first couple of batches weren’t bad, but I kept practicing. By my third batch, they looked just like the ones on TV, and I was a bit impressed with myself. I started sharing them with friends, and they all loved them. What started as a fun hobby quickly took off, and before I knew it, my fridge was full of macarons.”

Parsons said her husband insisted her macarons were good enough to sell, but she was hesitant and scared to step out of her comfort zone. With his encouragement, she decided to start selling them and named her business “T’s Macarons” since her nieces and nephews call her “T.”

The standard flavors Parsons makes are vanilla, strawberry, lemon, cookie butter, cake batter, and cookies-n-cream. She has also recently added cookie dough, salted caramel, and brownie batter – her personal favorite.

“You can place a custom order through my T’s Macarons Facebook page, and I also have variety packs stocked at The Cottage Boutique in Mauriceville,” Parsons said.

According to Parsons, she does not like having a lot of idle time, so she is grateful for this hobby that keeps her plenty busy.

“Sometimes, it can be a struggle to manage everything, especially during busy weeks with teaching or when my daughters have extracurricular activities,” Parsons said. “Good time management is essential to keeping it all together and fulfilling customer orders.”

Parsons said her business has grown significantly over the last few years, since she officially started taking orders in 2022.

“There were months when I didn’t have any orders,”  Parsons said. “Now, I often have to bake multiple batches to keep up with demand.”

For those who are interested in starting a side business of their own, Parsons said she would tell them to not give up – even if business gets slow.

“There were a couple of months when I didn’t have any orders, and I told my husband it had fizzled out,” she said. “Now, I have orders months in advance, I have a booth at a boutique, and I’m baking every week to keep up with the demand.”

Parsons said working full-time and owning T’s Macarons has required organization and time management – especially since she is also a wife and a mother.

“I’m constantly juggling multiple responsibilities,” Parsons said. “When I’m working on macarons, I’m also taking care of my daughters. I try to make sure I balance my time between working, baking, and spending quality time with my family.”