Carolina Larrea Has a Passion for Baking the ‘Cutest Cookie’
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
It took her 48 years, but Carolina Larrea has found her calling.
In January she started baking macarons, and since then, her brand, Sweet Carolina Macarons, has grown beyond her wildest imaginations.
French macarons are thin, flavorful meringue cookies sandwiched together with some sort of filling. The meringues are what make the cookies unique, and they come in a variety of shapes and flavors. For Larrea, they are an art form.
“It’s largely a result of the pandemic,” Larrea said. “I was a graphic designer my whole life but after I had my second son I didn’t go back to work right away because I wanted to spend more time with him. Still, I wanted to find something I could do. I’m a cook and baker—I’ll grab anything in the fridge and make a meal out of it—although I never turned that into anything.”
When the coronavirus broke out, Larrea did some soul searching. She had to decide whether to go back to her old career or start a new one. She chose the latter—and she is so glad she did. Her sons are now ages 11 and 3, and, with the blessing of her husband Adrian, she let her passion for cooking out of the oven.
“Starting a job as a graphic designer didn’t excite me at all, so I decided to try this and it’s brought so much joy to my life,” she said. “People ask if you could have any ‘dream’ job for the rest of your life, what would it be? Well, this is it for me.”
Many of her requests come from the Palisades.
“I might have to move there since I have so many customers in the Palisades,” Larrea joked. “It’s a lovely area, and at least three times a week we’re delivering there.”
Ironically, being a vegan, Larrea shared she has not tasted any of her creations, although she gets plenty of positive feedback.
“I’ve never tried them, but they’re so pretty and make you happy,” she shared. “You can get creative, and I got into doing characters and ones with shapes and themes, sort of like going back to my designing background.”
Larrea shared that she is astonished how fast her new venture took off.
“I like to do everything by the book, so I spent last year doing all of the paperwork, going through the health department to get all the permits to bake and sell from my kitchen, and I set up Instagram and Facebook pages,” she explained. “My neighbor posted boxes she bought from me on Nextdoor, and I started getting calls and messages and emails.”
In fact, Larrea shared she is now getting ready to open a store in Studio City by the end of the year—and potentially in the Palisades in the future.
Originally from Argentina, Larrea and her family moved around the world when she was young. She lived in France from the ages of 3 to 6 and when Adrian (then still her boyfriend) got a job offer in the United States, the couple relocated to Southern California in 1999. They first lived in Hollywood, then Toluca Lake and now in Northridge.
“I like making people’s dreams come alive … the sky is the limit,” Larrea said. “I just made macarons for a school in Century City that wanted to say thank you to its board members. It’s amazing how the seed starts to grow from an idea.”
Email Larrea at sweetcarolinamacarons@gmail.com or message her on Instagram @sweetcarolinamacarons.
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