Meet Courtney Griffin | Student, Small Business Owner & Baker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Griffin and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, Let’s talk about principles and values – what matters to you most?
I have always said that I’d try anything at least once! Never in a million years did I think that mentality would lead me to a new hobby of mine: baking. I have always valued stepping outside my comfort zone and taking the time to learn new ideas and activities. It is so easy to find a comfortable routine and cling to familiarity – staying married to the same mindset and never trying to learn or grow. I find it important to stay curious. There’s so much of the world we cannot see within the confines of our own, limited point-of-view. – I make it my personal mission to explore it as best as I can. Another important value of mine would be authenticity. As a college student, I currently juggle classes, The Crowned Macaron, and my day job. It’s so easy to strive for perfection and get frustrated when I fail. I remind myself that at the end of the day I am me and I can only bring my best. Through The Crowned Macaron, I realized that I am able to have fun in my imperfections. A macaron shade may not come out the way I wanted, but what if I try something new that leads to a new technique. I am constantly learning and figuring out what works best for me and my cliental. I hear positive feedback from repeat customers at farmers markets and events and realize that there is success in being genuine and dependable. No, I do not have to be the best at baking or marketing, but if I am able to convey myself through my art and at events and always strive for my best, I have a product worth purchasing.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My business starts as all modern business start: extra time doing quarantine. Growing up, soccer had been a major part of my life. I played it, watched it, it took most of my time outside of school and friends. Eventually, I had to quit playing soccer. At that point, I realized that I had nothing in which to occupy my time. What did I even enjoy doing? Quarantine give me a chance to stop and learn about myself. I was in a rut, and I needed a new passion. I knew I had a passion for creating and trying new things. I knew I was a foodie, and I had a fascination in sciences, hence my Chemistry major. I had a solid cooking and baking foundation, but I had never thought of it as an art before – so I tried baking macarons. As you can imagine, the first batch was a fail. The second batch, I’d give a 5 out of 10. But I’ll never forget how excited I was when that third batch turned out perfectly. That batch was pictured on every social media platform I owned. I had forgotten how excited it was to stumble upon a problem and problem solve a successful outcome. At that point, I began brainstorm flavor and color combinations. I had the power to create and express an artistic side of me that I had not had the chance to show in years. My goal with The Crowned Macaron is to have the opportunity to express myself and remind myself to keep learning. I am still relatively new to the realm of home baking and marketing, and I learn a lot everyday. I hope to continue improving and bringing my customers along the way.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I had a friend visit around this time, spring. I would avidly scour the internet for places that make Dallas unique and then sprinkle some of my personal favorites in the schedule as well.

I’d plan a day centered around Pilot Point. We would visit Texas Tulips for a photo op and end the day at Western Son Distillery for a concert.

I’d plan a day dedicated to museums. I love the Perot Museum of Nature and Science and the Crow Museum of Asian Art. The Crow Museum is in perfect proximity to the food trucks down at Klyde Warren park.

Day three would consist of Deep Ellum. There are so many restaurants to choose from, no matter what type of food we are craving they are bound to have it.

The 4th day would be centered around the Stonebriar and Grandscape areas. Electric Gamebox is a must-try! I have also enjoyed using VR at iFly next to Stonebriar mall. Frezco Taco Shop has amazing birria tacos and Daq’s Daiquiris & More has the best daiquiris!

Day five would probably be a day of rest and detoxing. staying at home with Netflix and face masks is a perfect way to end an eventful week.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Life is so much easier with a great a support system, and The Crowned Macaron is no different. From helping with dishes, carrying cinderblocks to hold down my farmers market tent, my boyfriend, Austin, has always supported The Crowned Macaron. I cannot imagine the amount of sleep on which I’d miss out, if I did not have a second set of hands to help out with time-consuming tasks like packaging or sandwiching macarons. In addition to Austin, I have had the help of several friends and family that have purchased from me for their special events or helped me man the booth at events when I did not want to attend by myself! I’m looking at you Maddy, Melanie, Reedie, Phoebe, Beatrice, Nick & Brittany, Tamara, Diana, Ana, Sebastian & Laura, Eric & Analisa, Caylah, Camryn, my mother, Casandra and so many more!

Website: www.TheCrownedMacaron.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecrownedmacaron/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCrownedMacaron/