Honey & Butter Macarons owners Pavel and Leanne Pietrasinski turned a passion for whimsical French pastries into a standout Southern California destination. Starting in a restored Airstream trailer, Leanne taught herself to transform traditional macaron meringue into detailed, edible cartoon figures like playful corgis. Today, their flagship bakery at Irvine Spectrum Center pairs artisanal baking with global fan culture, drawing collectors and dessert lovers from across Orange County.
FROM FRENCH PASTRY TO EDIBLE ART
“Macarons are both beautiful and delicious, and they have been an obsession of ours for a very long time,” said owners Pavel and Leanne Pietrasinski. “What we love most is that the possibilities are almost endless. There are so many flavors, textures, colors, and combinations to explore, which gives us a lot of creative freedom to constantly experiment and surprise our customers.”
Honey & Butter macarons are extremely photogenic and they’re also delicious. Sweet buttercream is sandwiched inside delicate macaron shells. Flavors like Enchanted Berries are available all year. But it’s the seasonal macarons like Pistachio, Sweet Corn, and Peach Oolong that keep visitors coming back to taste more.
“Macarons can be decorated and shaped into something completely different from a traditional pastry. That eventually led us to character macarons, where we can turn a simple macaron into a little work of art,” said the Pietrasinskis.
In 2016, Honey & Butter opened its first brick-and-mortar location at Irvine Spectrum Center. This year marks the shop’s 10th anniversary.
“As we gained more traction, attention, and demand from our customers, we realized that the next step had to be moving into a brick and mortar location. Irvine Spectrum Center was always one of our dream locations. It is beautifully maintained, secure, and has such a great energy and atmosphere. It has become a very special part of our journey, and we are incredibly grateful to have our flagship store there.”
Honey & Butter’s fan base skyrocketed in the past decade. The couple also discovered another loyal audience: anime fans. The Pietrasinskis now transform their favorite anime characters into macarons.
“One of the most exciting things about character macarons is that we can translate characters from our favorite manga, anime, and video games into something edible. When they are done well, the resemblance can be surprisingly close, which makes them fun to collect, photograph, and, of course, eat. There is also a big ‘wow’ factor when someone sees a character they love recreated as a macaron. We think that combination of food, art, and fandom is what makes these collaborations so special.”
After clearing the licensing agreements, they delved deeper into special drop releases. Honey & Butter Macarons attracted collectors and fans of the Japanese anime character Hatsune Miku. Other collabs have led to limited edition merchandise such as T-shirts, stickers, and collectible pins. Now, the shop offers more than macarons.
This fall, Honey & Butter announced two new collaborations: “LADS: Zayne’s Birthday Fan Event” and “A Stray Kids Fan Event: Fluffy Parade.”
“Autumn is going to be a very exciting time for Honey & Butter fans, and we are working hard behind the scenes to prepare for everything coming up! This fall, we are working on an exciting collaboration with Metaphor: ReFantazio from ATLUS. We are huge fans of the world and characters, so we are really excited about the opportunity to bring them into the world of Honey & Butter.”
For more information, check Honey & Butter’s Instagram at @honeyandbutter.
HONEY & BUTTER MACARONS
Irvine Spectrum Center
633 Spectrum Center Dr., Irvine, CA 92618
