I wanted to share a special order I did for a client a month ago: seashell macarons for a mermaid-themed birthday party. Although I’ve made Minnie macarons for my daughter’s birthday, I haven’t tried piping any more complex shapes, so this was a fun challenge. They were surprisingly easy to do and make a striking […]...
{Sweet San Francisco}: Chantal Guillon SOMA
Although there’s a lot of focus in SF on pastry with modern, funky twists, I’m also very pleased to see there’s also been a quiet resurgence in classic French pastry as well. Case in point: Chantal Guillon, my favorite maker of macarons in San Francisco, who has expanded to three shops in the Bay Area, […]...
{Sweet San Francisco}: Nuubia Chocolates
Like many a visitor to Paris, I left with an ever-burning desire to return. I’ll peruse Instagram feeds filled with images of pastries, the Eiffel Tower, and chocolate shops, just to reminisce about the time I was there. Fortunately sometimes something comes along to remind me just how good I have it in the Bay Area. […]...
Pierre Hermé Macarons at SF Cooking School
SF Cooking school macaron class It’s been a while since my pastry school days, and oftentimes I feel the itch to get back into class to keep up with the newest trends, brush up on old skills, or just to be around some nice shiny professional equipment again. After talking to chef Nicole Plue about […]...
Fluffy Marshmallow Creme Macarons for Easter
Happy almost Easter! I’m looking forward to Isabelle’s first Easter egg hunt, since she was too little last year to go hunting for eggs. She’s still too little for Easter candy, fortunately: hopefully when she’s older and finds out I kept all the chocolate bunnies and jellybeans from her she won’t hold it against me! […]...
Pierre Hermé Hong Kong – Macaron Heaven
One of the highlights of my visit to Hong Kong was a long-awaited reunion with one of my favorite patisseries: Pierre Hermé. While the macaron craze seems to have leveled out in the US, it’s going strong in Hong Kong. Ladureé and La Maison du Chocolat, among others, have already opened branches in Hong Kong, […]...
Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, daughter, and dog Max. 
