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Bon Macaron, a By-Appointment Bakery, Now Open On Some Saturdays

By Janet Rausa Fuller | February 13, 2015 7:49am
 Bon Macaron, a by-appointment-only, macaron-only shop in West Town, is now open on Saturdays.
Bon Macaron, a by-appointment-only, macaron-only shop in West Town, is now open on Saturdays.
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Bon Macaron/Facebook

WEST TOWN — Fans of Bon Macaron might say the only not-so-good thing about the West Town bakery is its by-appointment-only hours.

But the macaron shop at 1407 W. Grand Ave. is now open on select Saturdays, including Valentine's Day, and once the weather warms in the spring, will be open every Saturday, said chef and owner Catherine Cooper.

This Saturday and again on Feb. 28, the store will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. selling macarons for $2.50 each, including red velvet, Cooper's newest, Valentine-appropriate flavor.

Cooper has been working on a line of gluten-free baked goods — chocolate chip cookies, brownies, muffins and savory tarts — that she'll start selling after Valentine's Day. (The macarons are gluten-free.) She uses her own gluten-free flour mix that she said she might sell at a later point.

In March, she will launch a new website with an online store and nationwide shipping. She offers local delivery and pickup now — even for customers who want just a single macaron. These people exist, she said.

"People can order for pickup or delivery any day. You can pick up literally one," she said.

Cooper, 45, a former teacher, started her business out of a shared kitchen in 2013 after a two-year stay in Paris, where she attended culinary school.

She opened the shop last June. Appointment-only hours make sense because of the lack of foot traffic in the neighborhood, she said.

"If I were on Michigan Avenue, I'd be open all day, every day," said Cooper, who lives in Lakeshore East.

She specializes in the Italian meringue version, which is more cookie-like than the lighter, puffier French version or the crackly Swiss meringue. Hers are about the size of an Oreo cookie, "the size they are supposed to be," she said.

She has come up with more than 35 flavors, ranging from classic pistachio and rose to very non-traditional birthday cake and mojito.

TimeOut Chicago just named Bon Macaron one of Chicago's nine best macarons.

Cooper will post future Saturday walk-in dates and hours on Facebook and her website. She takes orders by phone, 312-228-4325, or e-mail, ccooper@bonmacaronchicago.com.

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