We can all agree: Many of the best things in life stem from an obsession. A case in point? Making perfect macarons. “There is no shortcut,” says Chelsea Tan. “It is pure practice and repetition.”
Tan’s fixation on the naturally gluten-free almond-flour cookies began 12 years ago in her native Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when she first tasted the French pastry. “I started baking them to feed my own obsession,” she says.
What was once a labor of love has become a business, Chiboo Bakery. In 2020, at the height of COVID-19, Tan moved to Reston to be with her now-husband. With a background in finance and IT, Tan naturally looked for jobs in that field. But the stress of the job hunt and a global pandemic sent her to where she always turned on such occasions: the kitchen.
Producing macarons out of her home at a breakneck pace, she told her sweetheart, “I don’t think the two of us should finish everything.” Baking more than they could consume, Tan began selling her bite-sized creations, using social media to gain attention for her desserts.
It was easy to catch the eyes of customers. That’s because Chiboo doesn’t just trade in candy-colored round cookies. Many of Tan’s macarons are “cute characters,” as she puts it, in shapes including teddy bears, chickens, and snowmen. “I love how fun and flexible it is as a vessel for different types of flavors,” says the now full-time baker.
Year-round, Malaysian influences creep in with flavors such as kaya jam, ube, and salted egg yolk. They’re all made from scratch, with fresh farmers market fruits playing a starring role during the high season. Earlier this year, Chiboo Bakery moved from its Chantilly commissary kitchen to a Herndon storefront shared with vegan ice cream maker Crème de la Crop.
For the holiday season, Tan is offering gift boxes filled with festive, wintry macarons in flavors including chestnut. Trying one is the surest path to a new obsession. Just leave the baking to Tan. 273 Sunset Park Dr., Herndon
Feature image by Shannon Ayres
This story originally ran in our December issue. For more stories like this, subscribe to Northern Virginia Magazine.
