For the past 10 years, Macaron Bar—based in Cincinnati with locations in Louisville, Chicago and Pittsburgh—has served rainbow-colored sweet treats to customers while fostering a queer-inclusive brand and workplace.

“When you come into any of our stores, there are rainbow flags everywhere and we’re very open publicly that it’s a business owned by a married gay couple,” says co-owner Patrick Moloughney.

Twelve years ago, Moloughney and his husband, Nathan Sivitz—who also serves as co-owner and executive chef—noticed macarons gaining popularity in coastal cities like Los Angeles (where they lived at the time) and New York City. Having developed an infatuation with the dessert, the pair set out to bring the burgeoning French treat to Middle America with a boutique bakery of their own.

Co-owner Patrick Moloughney serving macarons at a charity event. Photo provided by Home of the Innocence Facebook page.

Moloughney brought a business background to the table from his work in the entrepreneurial space at Procter & Gamble, where he developed new business strategies, while Sivitz had a skilled background in and strong passion for baking. The combination of their expertise proved to be the perfect formula for what would become Macaron Bar. The two set out to research the brightly colored cookies, traveling across the world to immerse themselves in the business culture of macarons.

“We traveled throughout the US and took classes around baking them to learn more about them and learned how different bakeries branded themselves,” he said. “We also went to Europe for research, to cities like Paris and Brussels, where we also toured bakeries and took macaron baking classes.” 

They eventually enrolled in a French pastry school in Versailles, where they completed a macaron master’s program. After returning to the heartland, they knew their home city of Cincinnati was the right place to set up shop in 2014. Moloughney and Sivitz equipped their front-of-house staff with the knowledge that they had acquired in their travels abroad so they, in turn, could educate customers on all things macaron. They also brought on a third owner, Mark Santanello in 2015.

Co-owner and Executive Chef Nathan Sivitz during a baking class. Photo provided by Macaron Bar Facebook page.

“Not only did we want to offer our product, but we also wanted to create an educational experience because a lot of people have never had a macaron, or at least one of quality,” Moloughney said.

Customers can also enroll in pastry classes with Macaron Bar to learn how to bake their own.

“They’re a finicky cookie and difficult to make, a lot of people are interested in taking the classes,” he said. “It’s a pastry that a lot of other pastry schools won’t teach you how to do. It’s a hands-on experience that we offer that’s a big part of our business model.”

He adds that a majority of their front-of-house educators are members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“We’re proud to be LGBTQ+ owned and we’re clear to everyone that this is who we are,” Mouloughney reiterates. “The biggest thing we offer to the LGBTQ+ community is a safe place to work.”

He said LGBTQ+ business owners bring a unique perspective when working with LGBTQ+ employees, as they have either shared similar experiences or can empathize with their lives. Working for Macaron Bar offers flexibility for leaves of absences for things like mental health and gender-affirming care. 

Dylan Ruffenach, an employee at the Louisville Macaron Bar, said not only does the company provide a safe, queer-affirming space, but also a supportive space for him as a neurodivergent person.

“Having autism, I’m not fully capable of living on my own—I’m working towards it—but the tasks at work are teaching me how to take care of myself like—washing dishes,” he said. “[Having queer employers] has helped me out a lot to be myself more.”

The Louisville Macaron Bar location is located on Market Street in NuLu, which is on the Kentuckiana Pride Parade route and Ruffenach says the parade will be a big day for him and the company.

Employees prepare Valentine’s Day treats. Photo provided by Macaron Bar Facebook page.

“I’m excited for the parade to come through because the tips will be pretty good because it will be a lot busier that day and I love seeing people being themselves [walking the parade],” he said.

Not only does Macaron Bar offer a safe place to work, they also put their money where their mouth is and donate products to LGBTQ+ and art organizations across Cincinnati and Louisville throughout the entire year. Their baking classes, often donated for silent auctions, can bring in around $1,500 for an organization. 

Fortunately for Macaron Bar, the business has faced little backlash for its commitment to being visibly queer, other than a few Google reviews criticizing the display of rainbow flags and committing not to support the brand again.

“We just delete it and move on,” he said. “And it’s one percent of the time and has a one percent effect on our business. Other than that, nothing significantly [homophobic] has happened.”

For more information on Macaron Bar, visit their website here.