By Shelby Gurney
Macaron lovers can rejoice, with Minirons owner and creator Minji Lim set to hold a grand opening for her sweet East St business on 20 June.
Starting her Minirons business at the Arcade Markets in 2018, she continued to expand and grow.
Minji loves the challenge of creating custom designs for the macarons.
From Baby Yoda to Angry Birds, her custom designs take about six to twelve hours for just one.
Her process takes time as she makes a template, creates the colours, flavours and hand pipes everything on her own.
“The result is always worth it in the end, it helps to build my skill,” Minji said.
Her favourite flavours of those she has made are caramel creme brulee and raspberry.
Lemon white chocolate is a recent flavour that she has created, made with real lemons.
“Tasting the macarons is a big part of my job, I want to love the product,” Minji said.
Minji recalls a time from one of her first markets at Emu Park where a family had travelled two hours to buy her macarons and to support her.
Branching out to custom orders for birthdays, weddings and other special occasions the business began gaining a lot of traction.
The biggest challenge has been trying to make the shells of the macarons perfect, the hot and humid weather Rockhampton brings means different baking techniques.
Minji had to relearn everything she was taught in Korea.
The different climates mean different techniques.
It took her one year to figure out the best way to create the macarons in the heat.
As a self-proclaimed perfectionist, she said always trying to make her products at the highest quality was her main goal.
Minji recalls a time where she stayed up all night trying to get the shells perfect for a customer.
The community in Rockhampton is one of the main reasons she has continued even when times were tough.
“The support and encouragement from customers is something that always keeps me going,” Minji said.
She has hopes of creating an environment where people can visit the store, grab some macarons, a coffee and have a chat.
Because she is a perfectionist, creating macarons yields a mixture of emotions for Minji; she loves making them but they still pose a challenge.
“There is no guideline for how to make a perfect macaron every time,” Minji said.
Growing up with parents who were chefs, she was constantly surrounded by cooking and baking, so it’s only natural that she developed a passion for cooking.
Minji moved to Rockhampton 12 years ago, growing up in South Korea where she studied at a culinary high school.
During her time at school she learnt various cooking techniques in different areas.
She initially loved savoury cooking but eventually found a passion for baking.
“Pastry and baking is something that always challenges me,” Minji said.
She always raised her hand to give it a go at her previous workplace as a way to keep trying to understand how to make them perfect.
“It can be lonely living here without my family but the community and support I’ve received from the people here has made me feel at home, they are more than just customers,” Minji said.
Minji is looking forward to people trying her products and having a casual conversation with customers.