Meet Sherry Shao-To of Mon Cheri Macarons in Sugar Land

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sherry Shao-To.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sherry. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up I’ve always wanted to become a movie star, fashion designer or a big-time CEO. When I was in middle school I would design, alter and sew different outfits for my younger sister to wear. At the same time, I would bring trinkets from my parent’s dollar store which had closed down and sell them during my lunch period. Not before long, I decided to get into modeling and acting in my early 20’s. I was able to get some work here in my hometown Houston but I decided to move to Taipei, Taiwan for more opportunities.

I got into magazines, commercials, TV shows and hosted the travel channel but I felt I needed to come back to Houston to be with my family and finish school. I received an associate’s degree in Business Management and Fashion Buying in Philadelphia and began to work for Neiman Marcus as the couture specialist/assistant buyer for a few years. Later I became an assistant manager for a couple of other luxury retailers and eventually launched my own maternity boutique. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out and I settled upon a wonderful job at Bvlgari.

Then it all started in Spring of 2012 when I decided to try my hand at making French macarons just for fun. I really didn’t know what I was thinking since I’ve never baked in my life. The only dessert I’ve ever made were fudge brownies out of a box. Like a mad scientist, I began to research on all kinds of macaron recipes, watched a ton of YouTube videos and Googled every foreign baking terminology like “fold”. It was a disaster for the first few months.

I laughed at myself but for some reason, I didn’t give up and was determined to overcome the challenge. Not before long, I finally perfected the art of making French macarons. I was ecstatic and that’s when I discovered my new found passion and talent I never knew I had. I became so obsessed and wanted to try some real French macarons, I flew to New York over the weekend just to try Laduree and other well-known macaron shops.

My head was brimming with ideas and so I began to experiment and invent my own flavors and recipes. I used my family, friends, and coworkers as my guinea pigs. As word got out, people started to place orders for their birthday parties and showers. The joy and happiness I saw on everyone’s faces every time they ate my macarons made me understand the reason why I loved doing what I do even more. That’s when I decided to turn my passion into a business!

I came up with the name Mon Cheri Macarons because not only does it mean my darling or sweetheart in French, it also sounded romantic and elegant. I also thought it was perfect because my name Sherry was translated to Cheri in my French class in middle school. After the decision on the name was made, I ordered packaging supplies, printed my own labels, opened social media accounts and created my own website.

At that time I was still working at Bvlgari but orders just kept pouring in. It was like having two full-time jobs plus taking care of my boys who were 5 and 8 at the time. Eventually, I decided to leave Bvlgari for 8 years in June 2013 to pursue my passion and completely focus on the development of my business. It was also the perfect opportunity to work from home and care for my two small boys.

Mon Cheri Macarons started to take off and aside from custom orders, I began to supply a number of restaurants, bars, and tea houses.

Unfortunately, some of the major accounts decided to close a year later and I was put in a bind. I had to think of an alternative way to stay afloat and had set up my first macaron booth at the Farmers Market in Imperial Sugar Land in August 2015. I felt it was a blessing because my business picked back up and it grew rapidly. I had the chance to expand, meet and connect with so many wonderful people.

My macaron booth at the farmers market was like a mini-storefront. And speaking of storefront, I am so happy and excited to announce that the very first Mon Cheri Macaron bakery boutique will be opening in the heart of Sugar Land this spring of 2018! My dream and hard work are finally becoming a reality. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for the tremendous amount of continued love and support from all of my family, friends, customers, fans, and followers!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it has not been a smooth road. I had to make a lot of lifestyle changes since I wasn’t bringing home half the amount I was making at Bvlgari. Not only that, I was limited on time and the amount of orders I can take since I’m the only person making all of the macarons. I also had to upgrade my basic home oven to a double oven because I wasn’t producing fast enough.

In the beginning, I was doing very well supplying a number of businesses on a weekly basis but then my stepfather was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer and I practically stayed at the hospital for about 5 months to support my parent until he passed. At the same time, the businesses I was supplying for decided to discontinue and I was beginning to struggle big time. I was so close to going back to retail until I was accepted to sell my macarons at the farmers market. But not shortly a year after that, my younger brother passed away from a tragic motorcycle accident and it took some time for me to get back on my feet again.

So yes, there definitely has been a lot of ups and downs throughout my journey but it’s all a learning process and luckily I’ve been strong enough to pick myself back up through all of the hard times. I’m also very grateful for my husband who has been by my side and has given me the utmost support. At the end of the day, I know I’ve made the right decision. I’m proud of myself and have no regrets. I took the opportunity to work from home where I’m able to spend quality time with my boys doing what I love.

Mon Cheri Macarons – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Mon Cheri Macarons is known for providing the most delicious and elegant handcrafted French macarons with the highest level of customer satisfaction. Each and every macaron is handmade with love, passion, and perfection. There are now over 50 flavors to choose from. Many flavors are classic, exotic, Asian-inspired, seasonal, unique and gluten-free. I believe the taste and texture of my macarons are what sets apart from the others.

I have cut down on a lot of sugar in my recipes so the macarons are not overly sweet. They are crisp, light, melt-in-your-mouth gourmet cookies with distinct flavors. I can customize your macarons in any flavor and color you’d like to match the theme of your party. Hand-painted letters and designs are also available to make your macarons stand out. Beautiful macaron towers and party favors will also make your event more special. I can also make many different shapes, sizes, and characters. There are so many ideas I can’t wait to create in the near future.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I’m actually proud of everything I’ve done so far. I’ve put my mind, heart, and soul in every aspect of Mon Cheri Macarons. I can literally say I’ve built my business up with my own two hands for the past four years and worked really hard to get to where I am today.

I am the sole baker, producer, inventor, supplier, photographer, marketer and delivery girl. You have to have ambition, confidence, persistence, and determination to reach your goals and dreams. I’ve been sharing my work, ideas and journey with almost 43K followers on my Instagram, not only to promote my macarons but in hopes to continue to motivate myself and inspire others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.moncherimacarons.com
• Email: moncherimacarons@gmail.com

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