On a crisp morning in Robbinsville, the local Farmers Market is buzzing with business. Among the rows of fresh produce and local artists, a vibrant, delicious stand catches the eye. Here, Sarah Reggimenti is running a small but impactful operation that goes beyond the sales.
This scene is the result of years of dedication and innovation to “Macarons on a Mission,” a macaron business started by Reggimenti, a Robbinsville resident. The business’ sales are dedicated toward a variety of charities that support children with special medical and developmental needs, an extremely personal cause to Reggimenti and her family.
All this hard work and commitment led Reggimenti to receiving the Robbinsville’s Joe Barker Volunteer Star Award — a recognition given to those whose community efforts resonate deeply with the spirit of volunteerism and inclusion. She was honored with the award in June at the annual Community Day festival.
Barker, the township’s longtime director of recreation and a staunch advocate for volunteerism, died on in 2018 following battle against colon cancer.
“The award is given to a volunteer who has demonstrated exceptional commitment and dedication to the community, as Joe Barker did,” Reggimenti says. “It was a huge honor to me that the mayor’s office, recreation division, and recreation committee selected me.”
Reggimenti’s passion for community and helping those with special needs is evident. She says that her work to benefit young people with special needs started on behalf of her daughter, Marissa, who has intellectual disabilities. It later grew to include many other kids with similar needs.”
“I am passionate about giving these young people as many opportunities as possible to grow their employment and social skills, and to be compensated for their time just as any other workers would be,” Reggimenti says.
The idea for Macarons on a Mission was born on Reggimenti’s 40th birthday, during a trip to Paris in 2013.
Macarons are a type of delicate, colorful French pastry made from almond flour, sugar and egg whites.
They consist of two round, smooth-surfaced cookies with a soft and slightly chewy texture, sandwiched together with a filling, typically made of butter cream, ganache or jam. The cookies themselves are known for their vibrant colors, and they have a crisp outer shell and are often flavored with ingredients like vanilla, chocolate, pistachio or fruit.
“I fell in love with macarons while I was in Paris,” she says. “I tried to make them for years, but couldn’t get them right until a family member sent me a recipe in 2019. That’s when I was truly hooked.”
What began as a hobby quickly turned into a business idea, especially after discovering a loophole in state law.
At that time, New Jersey was the only state without a cottage food law, making it illegal to sell homemade goods. However, the law allowed for the sale of homemade items if the proceeds were donated to charity. This loophole presented a unique opportunity for Reggimenti.
“At this time, I was still working as a speech language pathologist, and baking was a side hustle. So, since I’d also been looking for a way to give back for all that my daughter and family had been given over the years due to her special needs, I decided to dedicate my new company to raising money for organizations that helped the special needs community,” Reggimenti says.
The transformation from a home baker to a community advocate involved overcoming significant challenges.
“Once the state passed the cottage food law in late 2021, I continued donating, but I started keeping some of the proceeds,” Reggimenti says. “That is, until a visit to Compassion Cafe in summer of 2021 changed my life.”
Compassion Cafe is an organization in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island dedicated to hiring and training those with special needs.
“When I walked in there and saw what was happening, it was like a whole new world opened up for my daughter,” Reggimenti says.
In the summer of 2022, Reggimenti began selling her macarons at the Robbinsville Farmers Market.
“I brought Marissa, who was now 14, with me, and saw how she thrived in this environment and how she enjoyed working alongside the other teens I had hired,” Reggimenti says.
“I started hiring her too, and by the end of the summer, I also started hiring other teens with special needs,” she said. “So now, instead of giving my money away to various charities, I was funneling it towards paying all these kids.”
This epiphany led her to incorporate Macarons on a Mission into a broader initiative, called Macs Potential, which focuses on providing employment and social skills training to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“A friend submitted Macarons on Mission for a grant so we could pay more workers, but it was denied since my business was not registered as a charity,” Reggimenti says.
The situation led her to create Macs Potential with another Robbinsville resident and baker, Leslie Marchio of Four Peas and a Dog, and Michele Jaworowski of West Windsor, a parent of one of her workers.
The initiative operates two main initiatives—the Kitchen Program and the Market Program. The Kitchen Program, hosted at Bridge Church in Hamilton Square, involves teaching students how to bake a variety of treats.
“Older students with special needs and their aides are bussed to us from Robbinsville High School twice per week,” Reggimenti says.
“Leslie and I teach them how to bake a variety of treats, such as macarons, drop cookies and chocolate truffles. We involve the students in not only baking, but selling the goods,” she says.
The Market program, however, involves the need for much more funding. Macarons on a Mission and Four Peas and a Dog pay for the number of helpers needed at any market event.
“Workers” (individuals with special needs) and “Partners” (individuals without special needs) who participate in market sales beyond that are paid by funds from Macs Potential.
“I am passionate that they should all be equal in this way,” Reggimenti says. “In the rest of their lives, our Workers are typically not equal to their peers, but while they’re at work for us, I wanted to level the playing field.”
Establishing Macs Potential came with its own set of challenges, such as zoning issues and other local town regulations.
“Originally, we were planning to make and sell macaron shells with the student bakers to local bakeries. But then Hamilton Township informed us that the church was not zoned for this type of wholesale operation,” Reggimenti says. “We had to shift gears completely and get a retail license instead, which meant we had to find a way to sell our goods directly to customers.”
Despite these obstacles, the impact of their efforts has been profound.
“In May we ran a teacher appreciation sale of the baked goods made in the Kitchen Program,” Reggimenti says. “It was all hands on deck to get those out, but it was a huge success.”
Looking ahead, Reggimenti and is excited about several upcoming developments.
“This fall we are planning to partner with Aramark, the food services company that is in contract with Robbinsville Schools,” Reggimenti says. “This is huge, as it would mean no more scrambling to try and get the baked goods sold, which has been a little stressful and time-consuming.”
In addition, recent support from 100+ Women Who Care in Mercer County will allow Macs Potential to expand its operations. The organization chose Macs Potential as the recipient of its charitable contributions in August.
“This is quite a windfall for us and will allow us to expand operations more quickly than anticipated, we are so thankful to them,” Reggimenti says.
For anyone interested in supporting or getting involved with Macarons on a Mission and Macs Potential, Reggimenti emphasizes that they are always looking for ways to expand.
“We are on the lookout for teens/young adults 16 and older to be Partners at our Market events,” Reggimenti says.
The community can follow their journey on social media and make donations through their website at macs-potential.square.site. Macarons on a Mission, Macs Potential and Four Peas and a Dog are all on Instagram and Facebook. To order macarons online, go to macaronsonamission.com.
Bakers Leslie Marchio and Sarah Reggimenti, both Robbinsville residents, have teamed up to support children with special medical and developmental needs,
