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Hidden Gems: Meet Stephanie Nance of Little French Cookie

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephanie Nance. 

Stephanie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I’ve always loved to bake. As a teenager, I started baking from scratch – cookies, cakes, pancakes, pies, etc. In my early twenties, I began to dabble in all things yeast- breads, pretzels, cinnamon rolls, etc. The more I learned, the more I found joy in the art of baking. I truly loved the process of working through a recipe, watching it all come together and of course, the little satisfaction of opening the oven and seeing all the effort come to a delicious looking (and smelling) result. Soon, I moved from using recipes found online, to more so using those as a guide and creating recipes my own. However, I never quite understood the hype of French macarons. Frankly, I thought they were overly sweet and pretty pricy. In February of 2020, I had the opportunity to visit Paris. French Macaron shops in France are like donut shops in DFW. They are on every corner! I decided to give them another try and was immersed in the elegancy, uniformity, pastel colors, vibrant flavors, and of course the adorable packaging. I visited at least three French macaron shops over the days I was in Paris and could not get enough. The macarons weren’t just cookies, they were a complete experience. 

After my trip concluded, I thought I’d learn to make French macarons for myself. I was an experienced baker, so it wouldn’t take me long to master, right? Wrong! I’d heard they were very tricky to make and indeed they are. After months of flat, cracked, bubbled and burnt cookies, I finally made a product I was happy with. I don’t exaggerate when I say months. It truly took at least four months before I was able to make consistent French macarons. I finally found what works for my oven, my ingredients, and my folding technique. I always joke that I could bake French macarons in a friend’s kitchen and they would turn out completely different. Things like the outdoor humidity, oven temperatures, or egg whites being too hot or cold can completely change the outcome. 

I found myself making French macarons when friends and family came over to visit. I started with a raspberry buttercream flavor and stuck to other fruit-based flavors while working on my consistency. Over time, I added in chocolate, cappuccino, pistachio, and lavender to my rotation. I was spending a good deal of my free time working on this craft and it really just naturally occurred to me one day, that maybe I could start selling these little treats. I decided to start with a website and Instagram page and just see where it went. Over a month’s time, six flavors turned into twenty-one, and the website turned into custom logos and a full e-commerce capability. I also became much more comfortable working with angles and my iPhone to add photo and video content. Before I knew it, I added a refrigerator and freezer in my dining room as well as a closet full of packaging supplies. A friend of mine is a lawyer and helped me establish an LLC as well as a cottage law license. I was ready to launch! I received outpouring support from friends and family and orders piled in pretty quickly. I started off delivering orders then after some trial and error, I found a way to package the macarons and ship them nationwide while still keeping them cold and dry. 

I haven’t quite reached my dream of having a bakery on a beach somewhere, but for now, I am so thankful for how the business has grown in ten months’ time. I hope to lease a space in a ghost kitchen in late 2022 in order to increase production, then perhaps open a shop in Bishop Arts District sometime in the near future. 

Has it been a smooth road? What are the obstacles you’ve faced along the way? 
There were some pieces of the process that I would say went smoothly. Overall? No, I wouldn’t classify it as smooth. Trying to master the consistency of French macarons itself was a rewarding process in the end but quite frustrating and time consuming for several months. I came close to giving up a few times. Getting the website off the ground was a fun but lengthy process. I’ve never been one to take great Instagram photos of my food when out with friends at a picture worthy restaurant, but when selling a food item, you’re forced to understand lighting and angles rather quickly. It’s important to me that Little French Cookie is a sustainable business from the ingredients, to the baking supplies & kitchen utensils, to the shipping and packaging. Finding ethically sourced ingredients and materials was a bit of a trial while still trying to mitigate costs, but I’m so glad I didn’t sacrifice on this initiative!

Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Slow down. I had this great idea and wanted everything to be ready as fast as possible. There are so many little obstacles and decisions to be made when starting a business. It can quickly be overwhelming if you try and accomplish too much, too fast. Enjoy the process of getting things off the ground. 

Who else deserves credit – have you had mentors, supporters, cheerleaders, advocates, clients or teammates that have played a big role in your success or the success of the business? 
To say I’ve had support is an understatement. Not one person in my life made me feel like this was too risky or bad idea in the slightest. Anyone I told that I was starting a macaron business, reacted with encouragement and excitement. My parents never capped my potential or led me to believe that there was a limit as to what I could achieve. Growing up, my mom encouraged me with the Erin Hanson quote, “What if I fall? Oh my darling, but what if you fly?” My parents surprised me with a $500 investment in Little French Cookie which really helped with the shipping supplies and the website start up cost. When I told my boyfriend that I wanted to start a macaron business, his reaction was, “Okay, so we’re doing this? This is the plunge into a bakery? I knew this was coming one day. About time!” His lack of shock gave me a jolt of confidence. He’s helped me take pictures to promote the social media pages, been my new flavor taste tester, set up my tent at pop up shops, and never complains when I turn our kitchen into an almond flour dusted mess. We even joke that he’s the ‘CMO’ (Chief Marketing Officer.) When I first posted online about the start of Little French Cookie, I had almost 100 shares. I was shocked how much support I received even from people who I hadn’t seen in years. I’ll never forget that feeling. There are a handful of people who have spent hundreds and hundreds on orders. They’ve sent macarons as gifts, ordered for events and purchased just to snack on themselves. They each make me feel that these really are the best macarons around. These people are Camille Smith, Angela Gordon, Destinee Gomez-Anderson, Natalie Pedroza, Chloé Cooper, Jenna Kallestad and Nathan Stewart. I would also like to thank the Boho Market, Hecho Con Amor Market, and Oak Cliff Farmers Market for letting me partake in pop up shops as often as possible. These events have been pivoting in getting the word out about Little French Cookie.

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