Let's start with the basics: macarons and macaroons are not the same thing. So dispel any image in your head of coconutty cake balls (macaroons) and instead, visit Janette & Co for a taste of France's beloved sweet treat (macarons).
Quentin and Agnes Garrigou opened their first shop in South Miami nearly two years ago. Last week, they debuted another outpost on Miracle Mile in Coral Gables. Together, the pair is educating neighborhood folks on the art of French pastry and preserving their sugar high with delicious macarons of all flavors.
See also: With Macarons, the Price Isn't in the Bite
Originally from France, the Garrigous first came to Florida seven years ago when Quentin was hired as a cook at a French restaurant in Sarasota. Years later, the idea for Janette & Co was born, the name stemming from the couple's grandmothers, Jane and Janie.
Originally trained as a savory chef, Quentin went back to France to study at Lenôtre, a culinary school in Paris. There, he learned the art of French pastry and upon graduation, returned to his wife in the United States to make their dream a reality.
"My wife takes care of the employees and customers," he says. "She's the front [of the house] and I'm the back."
He wakes up every morning around 5 a.m. to begin baking his macarons and continues throughout the day as certain flavors like pistachio, rose and coconut sell out quickly.
"We always have 16 to 20 flavors and every month I do one different macaron. Our most popular flavor is Nutella, of course."
