National Macaron Day is Tuesday, March 20, and Vanille Patisserie is honoring the addictive French cookie and the first day of spring by donating 10 percent of in-store and online sales that day to Special Olympics Chicago.
Stop into any of Vanille’s four patisserie locations (including 5229 S. Harper Court in Hyde Park) on the 20th, and your purchase will benefit Special Olympics Chicago, the organization that offers athletic training and competition to children and adults with intellectual disabilities across the city. Special Olympic programming is available in more than 122 Chicago Public Schools throughout the city and in 23 Chicago Park District locations.
“We wanted to honor Special Olympics Chicago during their 50th year serving our city and felt National Macaron Day was a great way to show support for our local athletes,” said Sophie Evanoff, president of Vanille Patisserie. “We challenge Chicagoans to show their support by making a purchase at any of our four locations or order online on March 20,” added Evanoff.
As an added bonus, on National Macaron Day, mention #BreakingDownBarriers at any Vanille location and receive a free macaron. Vanille Patisserie features macarons in 14+ flavors including chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, caramel, coconut, pistachio, coffee, red velvet, hazelnut, Nutella, Cassis, mango passion, rose, lavender, green tea, and strawberry Champagne.
The macaron, made up two small meringue cookies with a flavored filling, was likely created in Italy during the Middle Ages and brought to France in the 16th century by the chefs of Catherine de’ Medici – the first written macaron recipe dates from the 17th century in France. Macaron Day was introduced in 2005 by Pierre Hermé, a famous French pastry chef.
All four Vanille locations will participate in the National Macaron Day celebration: Lincoln Park (2108 N. Clark Street) Lakeview (3243 N. Broadway) Chicago French Market inside Ogilvie Metra Station (131 N. Clinton Avenue) and Hyde Park (5229 S. Harper Court).
