Le Macaron sweetens up Alpharetta’s Avalon

ALPHARETTA, Ga. - Three and a half years ago, Lisa and Dave Amundsen were searching for their second chapter.

"My husband had left his job at a large company here after 26 years, and we kind of looked at each other and said, 'What's next?’" Lisa Amundsen says, remembering.

The answer can be summed up in two French words: Bon appétit!

Today, the Amundsens own the two Alpharetta locations of Le Macaron French Pastries, a national chain of more than 60 French pastry shops. Their latest is a bright pink permanent kiosk at retail and dining destination Avalon, which just opened a month ago and is the first of its kind in Le Macaron’s history.

"We opened our first location at North Point Mall, which is much, much larger than this one," Lisa Amundsen says. "[We] reached out to Avalon once we got situated, and said, 'Here's what we want to do, how do we make it happen?' And so, they suggested a kiosk."

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It’s only 90 square feet, but the kiosk serves up a surprisingly vast lineup of macarons, all handmade by a French chef. And just in case you don’t know exactly what a macaron is, Lisa Amundsen has a short answer ("It's the French Oreo") and a longer one.

"They're actually little meringue tops and bottoms," she explains. "They're made with almond flour, so they're naturally gluten-free … and then inside, my chef chooses to do a homemade chocolate ganache, a homemade jam, or homemade buttercream.  So, depending on which flavor you select, is what the inside will be."

Amundsen says chocolate and vanilla are always the most popular flavors for the sweet little sandwiches, but other customer favorites include red velvet, rose, and bubble gum.

Although planning for the kiosk began before the pandemic, Lisa Amundsen says the open-air, take-and-eat concept couldn’t have worked out better.

"It was a little scary to open now, but again, everybody was so appreciative of what we were doing and very supportive of our efforts, so I'm really happy we did it."

Le Macaron Avalon is currently open from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon to 7 p.m. on Sundays.  For more information, click here.

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