Who knew that a simple request from her 10 year old daughter for a macaron tower for her birthday would be the beginning of a new business for MacKenzie Blakeman and the start of MacKenzie’s Blakery.
MacKenzie and Beau Blakeman moved to Columbia in 2018, and a year later MacKenzie’s Blakery was born. MacKenzie has always been a decent cook but not much of a baker until recently. She grew up in the kitchen, and as a kid she loved watching the Food Network and recipe testing with her mom.
After having her son, she started baking more. She was at home with 2 kids making homemade bread, pizza, and muffins every week, when her daughter requested she make a macaron tower for her birthday, instead of a cake. She decided to give it a try. Her first attempts were complete failures, but macaron baking can become quite an addiction! Two weeks later, they had a big beautiful birthday tower. The baking, however, never stopped. She continued recipe testing and experimenting with new flavor profiles, and eventually MacKenzie’s home baking became MacKenzie’s Blakery.
By 2020, MacKenzie was in a fully licensed commercial kitchen selling her hand-made treats at Something Plume, and in early 2022 she joined the Winter Market at Columbia Farmers Market. "We love being a small business in a small college town and even more so supporting other local businesses and farms around us," MacKenzie said. "You can find us using local produce as much as possible in our baked goods including eggs, honey, and berries - most of which comes from Columbia Farmers Market."
Being at CFM has been one of the most rewarding parts of her business. "Selling out of a local store is great, but being at the market and meeting the customers who come every week to enjoy your product is AMAZING," she said. You can find MacKenzie and her husband Beau year-round at Columbia Farmers Market with her trays of beautiful macarons, but also other pastries like scones, cookies, and cinnamon rolls. Order MacKenzie's baked goods at MACKENZIESBLAKERY.COM.
