Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://specialtyfoodmagazine.epubxp.com/i/55305
STORE TOUR Bites by the Bay BY LAIKO BAHRS I n San Francisco, creative retailers are finding opportunities in high-traffic shopping neighbor- hoods as well as distinctive repurposed spaces (think steel shipping containers). Read on to learn about some of the innovative new shops that opened in 2011. Chantal Guillion: Macarons Versailles-style, Sold in Seasonal Flavors Brightly colored, filled macarons were the cookie of Chantal Guillion's child- hood in Versailles. She baked them with her mother, or ate many from the numerous patisseries that sold the storied confections. After moving to the City by the Bay to be near her children (who, incidentally, own Bacetti, maker of the chocolate-covered gelato bites), Guillion opened her namesake shop in June, where her line of macarons are all to her taste and recipe, baked at her own facility in San Francisco and sold only in her shop. Flavors change seasonally, with a dozen or more featured at a time in the shop's gorgeous cases. Fresh and dried fruits are used for the pureed fill- ings, and fruits are added to color the almond dough (which is made with California-grown almonds). Best sellers are the Pistachio, Valrhona Chocolate and Tahitian Vanilla macarons, as well as Salted Caramel, which was a surprising new flavor profile for Guillion—one she'd never seen during her time in France. The store sells around 1,000 macarons every day, through on-site and nationwide shipping orders. Parisian brand Mariage Frere Tea makes up the other half of the 105 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com PHOTO BY TERRY GIANG COURTESY OF THE PASTRY CUPBOARD