ONTARIO — About four days before Laurel Bocka was to leave for the University of Cincinnati to study industrial design, she decided to cancel the trip.
“It wasn’t the right path for my life,” the 2013 Ontario graduate said.
Instead, she enrolled at The Ohio State University at Mansfield and declared a major in business, with an uncertain future.
Fast forward to May of 2015. That’s when she took a trip to New York City to watch “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” During her stay in the Big Apple, she enjoyed visiting different eateries. One food item she especially savored was a macaron, not to be confused with macaroon.
A macaron is made with almond flour, egg whites, and granulated and powdered sugar, then filled with buttercream, ganache or fruit curd; whereas, a macaroon is composed of egg whites, sugar, and dried coconut and sometimes dipped in chocolate.
“I think we got macarons every day that we were there,” she said laughing.
When she returned home, she decided to put her baking skills to the test. Having grown up in a family of foodies, Bocka is no novice when it comes to baking. However, macarons were new territory.
After watching YouTube videos to help give her some tips, Bocka whipped up a batch of salted caramel macarons using a recipe she pinned on Pinterest. Much to her surprise, they “kind of worked,” she said humbly.
She decided to make more to share with her co-workers at PurseSnickety, and it wasn’t long before she began selling them at Bake My Day.
When coming up with macaron flavors, she taps into her creativity and draws inspiration from a number of sources.
“I was at a friend’s wedding and they had red velvet cake, so I decided to make red velvet macarons after that,” she said.
Other flavors have included cake batter, raspberry cheesecake, green tea white chocolate, glazed donut and much more.
This summer, she began selling macarons and other dessert items at the Ontario Concerts in the Park Series under a new operation she’s calling “The Joyful Table.” So far, The Joyful Table specializes in baked goods, but Bocka hopes to expand the menu and move the business to downtown Mansfield.
She envisions a cafe that serves healthy dishes (soups, salads, wraps, etc.) and has vegetarian and vegan options.
More importantly, she pictures a space where people can feel welcome to celebrate, cry, let off some steam, rest…just hang out and do life together.
Having lost a couple of her friends, she understands just how important community is when tragedy strikes. During those times of loss, her friend group made sure to check up on her and that she was doing OK, she said.
She hopes The Joyful Table will offer similar solace to people who may be hurting, as well as kudos to those who are celebrating.
“I’m all about celebrating and being joyful,” she said. Hence the name, “The Joyful Table.”
Taking a moment to reflect on her journey, the 22-year-old smiled and said, “It’s cool how God can take two things in your life and merge them together.”
In her case, that’s baking and business.
But this is just the beginning. To stay updated on what’s next for Bocka and The Joyful Table, follow The Joyful Table on Facebook or Instagram.
