BY LANDI RUTLEDGE
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — Megan Polston is the owner of Midnight Macarons that has been opened for almost two years, serving the Auburn, Opelika and Valley communities out of her home.
Always having a passion for baking, Polston said that as a child she won a 4-H competition.
After only recently getting back into baking, she said her reasoning for choosing macarons came from her love of watching people make them on television.
“I like to watch a lot of the baking shows, and they were always talking about how complicated they [macarons] are to make, and I just wanted to see if I could do it,” Polston said.
The name, Midnight Macarons, comes from Polston staying up all night to make the macarons.
“I work third shift at a hotel so when I’m not working there, I’m doing it here, and I do it overnight,” Polston said.
Polston said she hopes that running this business shows her independence and creativity.
“I want to make something that people can enjoy, both aesthetically and when they eat it,” Polston said.
As a big fan of glitter and dark colors, Polston said she tries to incorporate those design choices into her macarons.
Polston said that macarons are a delicate dessert compared to others on her menu like cookies and cinnamon rolls.
“They are incredibly difficult to make, if you don’t know the techniques, they are very precarious,” Polston said. “You have to have the right temperature in your house and the humidity, your technique and the weight has to be perfect. It’s just very scientific.”
Polston describes eating a macaron to those who have never experienced it before.
“Usually, a macaron has a slight crunch on the outside, and it should have a chewy texture,” Polston said. “Depending on the filling, it’s going to have a different texture throughout.”
Her favorite flavors are the red velvet and the lemon curd, while she considers the vanilla to be the most underrated flavor.
Some of her new flavors include maple bacon, blueberry lemon, raspberry and London fog.
Polston said she enjoys visiting different bakeries, trying various items and then either trying to replicate it or put her own spin on something similar, in a macaron style. She said that a lot of trial and error goes into her baking process.
Polston said she sees her work as a mixture of baking and art that focuses on precision and tries to promote the message of being “cozy but upscale.”
She said that taste and presentation set her apart from competing businesses.
“I think my flavors really speak for themselves,” Polston said. “Also, I think I’m very good at making them aesthetically pleasing.”
Polston said she plans to eventually open a dessert café style food truck and a brick and mortar, but for now, said that the response from the communities has been positive.
“So far, it’s been really great, I’ve had an overwhelming response from the university,” Polston said. “I just completed a 20-dozen order from them, and I just received another order for 10 dozen.”
While her favorite part of her job has been hearing the feedback from satisfied customers, she said the hardest part has been trying to make herself known.
The biggest challenge has been trying to get my name out there to promote myself,” Polston said. “There’s only so much I can do at this moment. But it’s really just word of mouth, and I’m hoping eventually I can get more out there.”
Polston said she hopes customers remember the initial experience of biting into her macarons.
She gave her piece of advice to other small business owners just beginning.
“Promote yourself as much as you can, get business cards and hand them out everywhere,” Polston said.
