By Sophie Bross
A well kept secret among who’s who in Chicago society is a little known baker without any formal training who has created cake masterpieces for some of the city’s most elite private events. I am sure the phone calls and emails will come pouring in after this article reprimanding me for revealing this closely guarded secret. Behold some of the beautiful creations below.
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Let me introduce Maria Duron of MD Cakes, Cookies and More.
Maria immigrated to Chicago when she was 18 from Mexico. She came here because she had many family members residing in Chicago and therefore an instant community to support her new life in America. She has worked in hospitality since her arrival and until somewhat recently was employed part time by the The Racquet Club, a private club in the Gold Coast known for its excellent food. She still consults for Firecakes on their delicious sweets two days per week while running her own business. The opportunity to go on her own came out of necessity when covid hit. She had minimal work and her husband was laid off from his job. With a young special needs child at home from school because of covid, she needed to bring in additional income while still caring for her son. She decided to follow her passion for making desserts and started to develop a list of private customers growing organically and by word of mouth. Her husband did the deliveries while she did the baking. They will still deliver to you today if you are in the city and local.
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Having tasted her beautiful cakes and cookies on many occasions I am willing to testify under oath that the desserts taste just as amazing as they look. She is also well known for her puff pastries and coconut macaroons. The macaroons have a cult like following with several customers ordering weekly.
Maria’s delicious cakes and desserts can be ordered via her website (https://www.mdcakesandcookieshop.com/) and you can follow her on Instagram at (https://www.instagram.com/mdcakes_more/) and facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MDcakes.more.). And for those of you that are regular customers I hope you will forgive me for sharing our secret with our Classic Chicago friends.
Bon Appetit!
