Dining

Woops! Here It Is

Get a sugar  x at this delectable dessert store

BY VALERIE VINYARD

Ellie Lippel is always looking for ways to sweeten the pot.

Sweeten her customers’ pots, that is.

As the owner of Woops!, a bakery and dessert spot on University Boulevard next to Pei Wei, she caters to sweet teeth in Tucson.

Especially in these trying times, sometimes dessert is all we’ve got.

Guests walking into the compact space, they’ll notice the all-white interior, with exposed brick on one side and lots of  owers. The atmosphere is playful and welcoming.

“You can’t help but walk into the shop and smile,” she says. “It’s a feast for the senses.”

Her smiling eyes are often working behind the counter.

Woops! was started by her friends in New York, for whom she did marketing.

“As they were expanding, it was the perfect opportunity to bring it to Tucson,” she says. “It certainly was a new chapter for

both of us. It was as an opportunity on a lot of di erent levels.”

So, Ellie and her sister, Naomi Lippel, opened a Tucson Woops! in August 2016. Ellie, who grew up in Tucson, lived in Israel and New York City for 15 years before returning to Tucson.

“We always wanted to do something Ellie and Naomi Lippel opened a Tucson Woops! in August 2016. together,” Ellie says. (Submitted photos)

Choosing a location close to the University of Arizona has macarons a month. “The community is so helped, too. Ellie notes her shop gives a lot generous and kind. It’s been a joy.” of European students a sense of home. The 741-square-foot shop has an im

“Opening a business in Tucson is a gift,” pressive display case of colorful macarons. says Ellie, who noted that before the panThe 16  avors are created in a New York demic, the shop sold about 9,500 to 10,000 bakery, as macarons are “very  nicky” to make. Tables are available outside for people who want to linger or enjoy one of the shop’s featured sandwiches. Plenty of baking takes place in the Tucson shop, though. An array of pastries, including cookies and croissants, is created in house. Make sure to try the incredible pasteis de nata ($3), a Portuguese golden custard tart. Joshua Manis, owner of Brain Stem, a company that provides enrichment programs to schools, is a fan of the Woops! almond croissant. Woops... continues on page 13

Woops...continued from page 12

“They are delicious,” Manis says. “I’m glad I discovered them.”

Woops! macarons are about 2 inches in diameter and look like decadent sandwich cookies. A box of six costs $15, while other pastries range from $2.50 to $4.

Ellie counts the espresso macchiato as one of her favorite macaron  avors, with its real espresso-infused ganache topped with premium co ee beans, and the lemon tart, with its tangy tart  avor. Students love the Nutella, a rich  lling made with the hazelnut spread and dark chocolate ganache; and red velvet, with a bright red shell dusted with chocolate powder and a cream cheese- avored ganache.

Imported treats include chocolate-covered marshmallows from Germany. Woops! also features its own brand of espresso that goes with pastries. Ellie works with local bakers to introduce vegan treats, such as raspberry turnovers, blueberry sage scones and cookies. For those on special diets, Ellie notes that macarons are naturally gluten free, as they are made with almond  our.

Before Woops!, Ellie didn’t realize macarons could be so delicate or soft. She says her macarons will last  ve to seven days in the refrigerator, or they can be frozen for two months. Macarons are best served at room temperature but should be stored in the refrigerator.

Ellie says the Woops! macaron might seem di erent to  rst-timers, as many versions in the States are  lled with butter cream. Woops! macarons have a delicate crunchiness and are more uniform in their consistency.

It’s also important to distinguish between macarons and macaroons, which contain shredded coconut and tend to be squishier.

Lippel enjoys being a part of people’s celebrations and will construct grand towers of macarons.

Especially nowadays, Ellie is convinced that people need to reward themselves.

“(Woops!) is a very special place,” she says. “It’s got more of a European  air to it. I knew Tucson needed it.”

Woops!

845 E. University Boulevard 305-3224, bywoops.com/locations/ main-gate-square 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays to Thursdays; 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays

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