In 2005, when Kim Moehnke and her husband were expecting their first child and wanted to buy a single-family home, they chose Brambleton for their family. She even says that they had a complete “Wow!” moment when they found a house with a lot that didn’t back up to any other homes. Today, that house is home to Kim and her husband, their son, daughter and 21 fish (their son is an aquarium enthusiast). In 2014, another addition came to the Moehnke home when Kim opened Pure Love Macaron, her home-based baking business.

Kim explains her unique business best in her own words:

Pure Love Macaron’s story is one that was born out of unconditional love. I created this company because my son was put on a gluten-free diet (it helps with a breathing problem he has). At that time, gluten-free was just a sort of fad and not quite mainstream just yet. We struggled to find tasty desserts that met our dietary needs. So, I decided to roll my sleeves up and started baking my own gluten-free desserts. While recipe testing gluten-free baking, I came across an article about a French Macaron. Not only was it beautiful and delicious, it was also naturally made without any gluten.

It makes perfect sense for Kim to have chosen to bake from her Brambleton home as well, since the community means so much to her. From time with friends on each other’s patios to the Blue Ridge Grill and their amazing Brentwood salad to the warm and welcoming staff at AhSo, Kim has truly embraced life at Brambleton from every angle. Further proof of this is that when Kim started testing out different recipes for Pure Love Macaron, she commissioned her friends and family at Brambleton to do the tasting.

Caring for her community so much is what made Kim want to serve it – she knew there were not nearly enough gluten-free products in their area at the time. Now, she spends her days meticulously crafting macarons that will serve as a sweet treat for those with special dietary needs like her son, all from her Brambleton home. She says:

I bake from home so that I can control every single aspect of the business, from the temperature to the humidity levels. All the while, I try to keep my overhead costs low so that I can use the best ingredients. Organic eggs, organic butter, organic sugar…I use only the purest ingredients to make each macaron. But, as I like to say, the sweetest ingredient is always love.

At Brambleton, love fills every corner of Kim Moehnke’s life – red is even her favorite color because of its association with love, passion and joy – and these are the things you can taste in every Pure Love Macaron. To learn more about Pure Love Macaron and place an order, visit online at PureLoveMacaron.com. During the month of February, Kim is offering 10% off every order when customers use the code BRAMLOVE or mention this article.