A Rolls Royce engineer turned artisan p芒tissier, has opened his first patisserie caf茅
Before the pandemic hit, Mark McIntosh held a vice president position at Rolls Royce, in Derby 鈥 but made the bold career move to step away from the corporate rat race after 18 years and open a luxury, family-friendly patisserie.
Opening Mmacaron, in Ashby de la Zouch, Leicestershire, follows a boyhood dream, and his plan now is to open a chain of patisseries across the Midlands.
Mark is working on the ambitious venture with award-winning chef Emily Bucknall, who trained in Loughborough and has worked alongside Michelin-starred chefs.
He previously headed up service programmes at Rolls-Royce, Derby, overseeing engineering teams in high-profile projects such as developing the Trent XWB engine.
He said: 鈥淪ince my first teenage Saturday job at a bakery, it鈥檚 been my dream to open my own patisserie caf茅 and share my skills and love of cakes with others.
鈥淐ovid allowed us all time to pause and reflect on our lives and plan a different future.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a challenge to create a business through a global pandemic and many have called me crazy to give up a very good job, but sometimes you have to follow your heart.鈥
He said the artisan caf茅 will provide a 鈥渓uxurious, family-friendly experience鈥, with plenty of freshly-made, decadent treats on the menu such as pithivier cake, caramel and chocolate buche and macarons.
Mark also said he wants to give back to the community where he and his family have lived for 11 years and will offer his left-over cakes to local care homes.
On top of that Mmacaron is using locally sourced ingredients from independent suppliers in Ashby and across the region, and serving coffee from 200 Degrees Coffee, an independent coffee roaster based in Nottingham.
He said: 鈥淭hrough lockdown, we鈥檝e seen how essential our communities are.
鈥淲e want to play our part in helping our local high street recover and rebuild, encouraging increased footfall in the region as well as supporting local suppliers and offering employment opportunities for local people.
鈥淭here are so many overlaps between the worlds of engineering and baking; precision, creativity and a love for the detail.
鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in the kitchen your entire focus is on what you are creating and making sure that it鈥檚 right.
鈥淭his has been a dream come true for me.
鈥淚鈥檇 encourage anyone in the same situation to be bold and to embrace change.
鈥淥ne of the only bright spots of the pandemic is that it has reminded us what鈥檚 important 鈥 and that happiness should be top of that list.鈥
