We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Merry Matti a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Merry, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

As someone who began their business venture at sixteen years of age, it can be easily expected that many hurdles will be encountered along the way. It takes a powerful mind to strive to keep that fire ignited. As I have grown up, it has become evident that having a business comes in waves of success. If a continuous upward path of growth is the only thing one has in mind, reality will definitely be heavy to carry. Having a business requires someone who is resilient. Someone who is a good sport when at loss. I have had times when I could not catch up to the amount of orders that flow in, and times where it seems as though my business is bearing an invisible cape upon itself. The reality is that every single business owner has experienced this fluctuating wave of success.
Currently, I have had to make the choice of pausing the subscription of my website, merrymacarons.shop.
The cost of living has been increasing exponentially in San Diego. This includes one of the main ingredients of a french macaron: eggs.
The day that I took the risk of offering to sell macarons to my snapchat friends was the most life changing post that I have ever put out on social media. That was the commencement of my journey.
This pause is definitely temporary, until the time is right once again. The most important thing is that I never extinguish this burning passion to one day own Merry Macaron Cafe. I know that it will come to fruition; it is just a matter of time.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

The love for food and the culinary world has been a part of my heart since I was five years of age. I began with boiling pasta and chopping salads. As I grew, so did my love for being in the kitchen. During my sophomore year of high school, I joined the CTE Culinary Pathway, serving as ambassador for the last year of the program. This was the moment I knew that I must, under any circumstance, pursue this as a career. I did not want to be anywhere else. However, having been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis since I was twelve, I began to rethink whether being in a high-stress environment was such a wise objective for me to have. At this time, it felt as though I was taking my heart and breaking it with my own two hands. During my first year in the culinary program, which was during the year of 2017, French macarons caught my eye on the internet. I loved how they looked.

On a spontaneous trip to the grocery store, I picked up almond flour just in case I decided to make them. Weeks passed, and I did not make my first batch. However, one day I had mentioned my plans of making the exquisite French macarons to my culinary arts teacher, which is when she gave me the push that I needed to go ahead and make them. She even gave me a pack of gel food coloring to use.

February 18, 2017: the day that I made my very first batch.

Soon after, I created a post on my snapchat story asking if anyone would be interested if I began selling these beautiful creations. The rest was history.

I am incredibly thankful for all the love and support my customers have shown me throughout these years. Throughout all the hurdles, they are the reason that I am committed to never give up on my dream. Seeing the look on people’s faces when they take a bite is what made me fall in love with the art of food to begin with. It is a feeling that makes my heart flutter and do the cutest little happy dance.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

A time that I had to pivot within my career, impacting my life drastically, was the moment I realized that being a chef was not going to pair well with how much my health can handle. It was the most heartbreaking realization I could have ever experienced. With my heart set on going to culinary school, reality taught me that sometimes we must accept things that are out of our control. Instead of leaving this passion in the dark, I birthed Merry Macarons.

Being able to one day launch an opening day for Merry Macaron Cafe is what motivates me to work hard everyday.
In the meantime, I can aim to perfect the impeccable menu options that will one day be offered.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Being resilient is the main ingredient in the recipe for success in any area of life. I have continued to be resilient after every hurdle that comes my way. From being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, to the everyday struggles of being a young entrepreneur, I continuously bounce back up from the falls. It can be mentally draining to go through flare ups as a person living with IBD. The basic trips to the store or any other place become merely impossible. Hence, it takes an incredibly strong individual to stay positive, pray, and incorporate things that will manage their health, getting back to where they were before. Sometimes, it can feel like someone pressed a reset button and lost all your progress. However, that is never the case. Every setback, every obstacle, is nothing but a blessing that will make your wisdom and character grow exponentially.
Things always get better.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.merrymacarons.shop/
• Instagram: merry_macarons
• Facebook: Merry Macarons
• Linkedin: Merry Matti
• Other: [email protected]