Join Me in Recalling My Personal and Career Journey
Let me take you on the journey of how I became Dr. Macaron. I was born the second of three girls in Chattanooga, Tennessee in the late 60s. My parents worked hard and stressed the importance of getting a good education. I decided that I wanted to become a doctor when I was in the second grade. Working toward this goal, I received a B.S. in biology with a minor in chemistry from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I then received my M.D. degree from the James Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. I completed my emergency medicine residency in Toledo, OH. After which, I moved to Sumter, SC to begin my career as an emergency medicine physician.
As the years passed, my roles in life changed to include, mom, wife, physician, fitness competitor and entrepreneur. I had always carefully planned the path that my life would take or so I thought. I decided to get my MBA while working full-time as a physician and taking care of my kids while my husband was deployed in Korea. I competed in my first two body building competitions in my forties. I decided to open a restaurant in historic downtown Sumter, which required a huge renovation of a 100 year old building.
However, I wasn’t prepared for the change that my life would take in December of 2020. You might think that I’m referring to the pandemic. Well, I did have to close the cafe due to the coronavirus. However, that’s not the change to which I was referring. After noticing vision changes in my left eye, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, which required surgery and radiation treatments. In the aftermath of this, I medically retired from medicine in March of 2022.
What a tragedy some might think. However, when life deals you lemons….make macarons! That’s my motto. While the restaurant was open, I had acquired a number of skills. One of which was learning to make macarons. I was toying with the idea of making these finicky French desserts and mentioned it to my then barista and baker. They both laughed and informed me that I wouldn’t be able to do so….challenge accepted. I went down to the kitchen and made my first batch of macarons. Thus, Dr. Macaron was born!
Although, I no longer practice medicine, I have the opportunity to prescribe happiness with his delicate, sweet meringue-based buttercream-filled pastry that has become a passion. Each macaron is handmade and filled to ensure that every bite is delicious. My hope is that the delightful flavors of my macarons transport you to a small Parisian Café.