My name is Meng and I am the founder and baker of Le Nouveau Macaron, a home-based macaron bakery in St. Louis, MO. I grew up in China, came to the U.S. for graduate school, earned my PhD in vision science, landed a job in agriculture technology, got married, and became a working mom. My American dream came true!

While my job as a scientist provided its own creative outlet, something inside me wanted an outlet for my artistic creativity. So I started to think about what other creative things I love to do.

When my daughter was little, we spent our together-time baking (and eating) lots of French macarons. Although my daughter’s macaron phase eventually passed, I found myself in love with baking macarons and simply couldn’t stop. Le Nouveau Macaron was born.

I love stepping outside the box and experimenting with crazy flavors and elaborate decorations. From Sesame Street characters to themed macaron towers and party favors. From black sesame macarons with wasabi to truffle pâté macarons with pistachio crust and blueberry balsamic reduction. Pick any cuisine from around the world or any theme. I can create an interpretation of it with macarons.

My macarons are not just food. They are visual symbols of things that move and inspire people. They are tastes of culture that transport you around the world. I’m so proud that my creations are part of the diverse taste options in the St. Louis food scene.