14 AAPI-Owned Dessert Spots You Need to Know in LA

A new propagation of fearless AAPI baker is flourish in Los Angeles , proudly fuse the smack of their inheritance with classic European technique and American recipes . Many of these inspiring bakers and pastry chef were forced out of restaurant gigs ( and many more odd on their own ) due to the pandemic and have taken to societal media to launch their own viral soda pop - ups and remote conception in addition to brick - and - mortar solo ventures .

The pandemic impacted the livelihoods of many chefs , leaving second - generation AAPI baker with meter to flex their creativeness . “ Like myself , many pastry chefs were drudge aside in the dank back kitchens of someone else ’s establishment , perhaps not given the creative freedom to make what they wanted , ” saysFlouringfounder Heather Wong . “ But once the pandemic shut our restaurants and bakeries down … there was no better prison term to start baking what we wanted , how we wanted , and when we wanted . ” As AAPI chef deal their viral - worthy treats on social media — where we spent more time than ever — sweet lover conduct bill .

Now that the cosmos ’s reopen , these pioneering pastry chef are enjoy free rein to make what they want via brick - and - mortar shops , soda pop - ups across the urban center , or their Instagram accounts . In many compositor’s case , you ’ll receive that their pastry place less stress on sugar — thanks to an affinity for soft sweet that ’s associated with some Asian cuisines — which suits a general desire for more health - witting choices . “ [ These ] cultures share a worldwide doctrine of food that ’s deeply rooted in health and balance , ” saysGu Groceryfounder Jessica Wang , noting that desserts in East Asia are ordinarily less sweet than in South and Southeast Asia .

Nünchi

Photo courtesy of Nünchi

While AAPI chef do n’t limit themselves to Asiatic smell visibility , pastry dough are often a vehicle to reimagine their transmissible culinary art and celebrate ingredients — like crimson bean or fateful sesame — that others bump foreign . Their employment is a path toward enlightening non - Asiatic supporter and scatter false notions about their food — more meaningful than ever given the spindle in anti - Asian hatred .

Today , AAPI baker have far more freedom to honor their cultures , especially in a melting pot like LA . Whether it’sthe wage increase of gamey - end Asiatic restaurantsor Asian - inflect desserts , diner here are stabbing to hug diverse spirit and noteworthy intellectual nourishment experiences .

“ I love that I can produce a pastry using my personal food for thought experiences and Korean background and have it palpate familiar to others with an entirely different fostering , ” sound out pastry chefJiyoon Jang . “ show ethnic touchpoints in this way is really fulfilling . ” For example , miso caramel might cue you of salt caramel , while the tang of yuzu might recall lemon .

Nīn Cupcake Shop

Photo courtesy of Nīn Cupcake Shop

As AAPI pastry chef continue to break out on their own , they ’ll land visibility to Asiatic flavors and beam a well - merit spotlight on the residential district . Here are 14 AAPI - owned dessert spots whose owners are broil their multicultural identities into something dulcet .

Nīn Cupcake Shop

RemoteIn spectacularly originative flavors like hojicha mousse , coconut pandan , and salted bollock yolk mung bean , nīn ’s cupcakes are boundary push and well balanced in footing of taste , texture , and sweet . Vietnamese - American bread maker Allison Thu Tran first started making the kickshaw 12 years ago as a hobby , later attending culinary school day and work on at San Francisco’sMr . Holmes Bakehouseand New York ’s two - Michelin - starredThe Modern . All the while , she continued tinkering with her cupcake recipe ( it study 102 experiments to nail a vanilla cupcake that satisfied her mellow standards ) . Nīn is instigate by Tran ’s lovemaking of intellectual nourishment and wassail from around the world — from Persian Faloodeh to the Dominican milk - and - orange - juice drink called Morir Soñando — with a especial court to Asiatic spirit . Also in the works : A shop where you ’ll be able to bribe her desserts — like Black Sesame Mochi cupcakes filled with unfermented condensed Milk River pastry cream — IRL.How to order : Check the sitefor pop - up localisation .

Dōmi

Arts DistrictGrowing up in the San Gabriel Valley meant that dōmi co - founder Evelyn Ling was no unknown to Asian flavor profiles like black sesame , jasmine , and red dome . But after work in the restaurant industry as an adult ( her resume includes stints at New York ’s prestigiousEleven Madison ParkandAi Fiori ) , she gain these familiar ingredients were absent at the fine - dining stratum . So Ling and conscientious objector - beginner Joe Cheng Reed launched dōmi , whipping up edible full treatment of art with a nod to all the flavors they loved as kids . Their notable sheeny mousse cake demand a two - day process from start to polish , but some — like Strawberry Jasmine with layer of dark-green - Camellia sinensis - steeped mousse , chiffon bar , jam , and shortbread cookie — take even longer due to the complexity of the fillings . gear up overnight and glazed fresh the day of pickup to vouch radiancy , each patty features a totally unique , jaw - drop intention script - glazed by Cheng Reed himself . “ In pastry school , I encounter set of citizenry who thought Asian flavor profiles were strange , ” says Ling . “ We endeavor to take something conversant and introduce flavors that would be similar enough that a non - Asian mortal would be unforced to hear it . ”How to order : Order onlinefor getaway .

Baking With Ish

Go Cakes

San MarinoAfter moving from Macau to the US , Stephanie Fong hear a newfound passion for making desserts . Instead of enter in pastry dough school , she spent her savings on bake tools and ingredients , take on her own and training with pastry powerhouse — include a three - month stint in Vegas with Instagram ’s most - followed pastry chef , Amaury Guichon . Eventually , Fong went from slinging cake online to opening a brick - and - mortar store in San Marino , where she extend to craft luminosity , Asiatic - inflected desserts like Mont Blancs with homemade dasheen paste and red bean Proto-Indo European draped with matcha whipped cream . Although Fong specialize in tradition cakes prior to the pandemic , COVID-19 put an abrupt end to party and hymeneals , so she pivoted to baking pungency - sized desserts and treats with the seasonal ingredients and refreshed fruits she ’s always gravitated toward . Fong ’s best ideas are infused with a soupcon of fun and violation — like her theme song “ fry poulet ” pastry ( drumstick - shape ointment pouf ) service with “ French tyke ” ( honey breadsticks ) and “ tomato ketchup ” ( made - in - house strawberry jam ) . OnInstagram , you ’ll often find her tinkering with bespoke founding , like mahjong tile deep brown or an incredibly realistic - looking , cheddar - cheese - form cake . How to order : Order onlinefor pickup arm .

Bakers Bench

Rice Blossoms

BreaFounder Jennifer Ban ’s desire to reconnect with her Korean civilisation led her to launch Rice Blossoms — where she modernise traditional treat , like baeksulgi and songpyeons , delight during special occasions . While the former is a simple , steamed rice patty made with rice flour , sugar , pee , and salt ( bonus : they ’re vegan and gluten - spare ! ) , Ban ’s cracked the code to the ideal consistency and chewiness — achieving a fluffy grain with a slight bounce and featherweight lightness . ( One of her mystery is a particular flour produced from Elmer Leopold Rice that ’s been soak in water first . ) Each bite is elaborately whip with treat bloom , bud , and leave of absence — all from a subtly sweet bean paste that complements the cake ’s subdue relish . Meanwhile , Ban ’s songpyeons are made with gluey rice flour , forge into shapes like fruit or seashell , colored course , and fill up with ruby-red bean , chestnut paste , or sesame seeds with honey and sugar ( the most democratic choice ) . If you ’re concerned in more than just consuming her treats , Ban also offersin - person and virtual workshopson how to shrill flowers and make songpyeons . How to order : purchase order onlinefor pickup truck . ( Rice Blossoms is now available in theNew York sphere ! )

Mil

KoreatownA comparative fledgling to the pastry dough scene , Jiyoon Jang ’s making wave for her mochi cake bars , biscuit , and other mouthwatering confections . In 2020 , she train up baking as a hobby in the midst of the pandemic and subsequently refined her self - taught techniques with a spell atClark Street Bakery . All the while , she was modernise her own pastries at home and expose them on Instagram , where demand was so mellow she pop to sell them . Rooted in nostalgia and authenticity , Jang ’s formula often rely on the Korean ingredients she grew up with — like misugaru ( a multigrain powder ) , ssuk ( an down-to-earth herb ) , and white sesame — but expressed with a modern aesthetic . An splendid example ? Her miso - garu cookies , where the nutty earthiness of misugaru balances the stronger , funkier quality of white miso . The dough is rolled in sesame seeds and demerara shekels before it ’s broil , so the cookie jam both mash and manducate in adequate measuring stick . It ’s a salty - sweet-scented - umami sensation that introduce you to misugaru in the most delicious way or , if you grew up eat up it , reminds you of home . How to order : Although Jang recently ended her Instagram pastry drops , you’ll shortly be able to purchase them IRL . She ’s now the head pastry dough chef atMil(the Korean word for “ flour ” ) , a bakery concept soft hatchway this weekend and endorse byIn Hospitality(the group behindHanchic , Chimmelier , andKinn ) .

Kimochi

Gu Grocery

Chinatown - LA River Farmer ’s MarketYou ca n’t verbalise about Gu Grocery without mentioning founder Jessica Wang ’s experimental take on the Chinese scented Elmer Reizenstein bar called Niangao — a favourable New Year ’s dish that ’s enjoy year - circle too . Served piping - red-hot with caramelized edges and a gooey , liquefied heart , the traditional version is a tasty canvas for different toppings and fillings ( Wang ’s maternal grandma , for example , favour brown sugar and osmanthus blossoms , while her paternal grandmother preferred red bean , walnuts , and jujubes . ) Wang incur originative with hers : impregnate color with veggies like Cucurbita pepo and purple sweet potato or , in the slip of her Bittersweet dessert , experimenting with a roll spiral shape and integrate brown butter red bean paste , candied grapefruit peel , and grapefruit curd dipping sauce . While Niangao take the cake ( pun intended ) , Wang also whips up other yummy dainty : sweet and savory hand pies , cookies , brownies , and more . How to regularise : ordering onlinefor getaway .

Nünchi

Mt. WashingtonChances are you ’ve seen Lexie Park ’s bespoke jelly cakes on your provender . After a decennium - longsighted career in style , Park ventured into the made - to - edict cake business , where she leverages her love for design and cooking to craft wobbly treats that are the talk of Instagram . Using fresh fruits and inventive moulding ( include one that ’s mold like a snail and another with escallop sharpness ) , she turns out multilayered bundt and dome jelly cakes , which are vegan and gluten - free , as well as jelly cheesecakes . Her unequaled aesthetic is unmistakable : gorgeous gelatin concoctions with playful flesh and letters suspended within , always in an heart - pleasing pastel palette of tangerines , peaches , babe pinks , lavenders , and mints . While Park ’s glaring cakes are her simoleons and butter , give her a follow onInstagramto see how else she flexes her creative prowess with kimchi jerky , jelly Zea mays , jelly juice pouches , and pickle , which she sometimes sells in circumscribed quantities . How to regularize : Order onlinefor pickup .

San & Wolves Bakeshop

Remote“[Asians ] have always held it down in originative team , ” says founder Kym Estrada . “ But I think — and this also come with how untried people in general are make a motion — we’re realise AAPIs have the confidence and accessibility to scat teams , not just play a part in one . ” That ’s exactly what Estrada did when she launch San & Wolves in 2017 , after struggle to find vegan Philippine solid food anywhere in Brooklyn . Estrada made a conscious decisiveness to center on her pastry dough business on all the flavors she grew up corrode , using 100 % vegan ingredients — like coconut - oil - ground butter and sweetened , condensed milk all made from scratch . She ’s since moved her business to Long Beach , where her carte include treats like her Cornbread Bibingka , a intercrossed take on the Philippine sticky Timothy Miles Bindon Rice bar that ’s moist , lightheaded , cherubic , and sticky all at once ; attractively piped Pandan Chocolate Cake with oozing ganache centers and cheeky inscriptions ( if you so hope , that is ) ; and Ube Pandesal , which — to Estrada ’s recollection — taste exactly like the soft , fluffy , more or less sweet breadstuff roll she ate as a youngster . How to enjoin : arrest the sitefor start - up emplacement , ororder onlinefor pickup ( newfangled carte are let go on Sundays at 10 am ) .

Flouring

Remote and coming shortly to ChinatownThe pandemic birthed some of LA ’s most exciting food pop - ups — and this bakeshop is one of them . Flouring is the vision of Chef Heather Wong , who honed her skills at LA kitchens and vie on nutrient internet’sSpring Baking Championshipbefore step into an executive pastry dough chef purpose at a new situation , which close up as soon as it opened due to COVID-19 . Wong pivoted to slinging her cake and pastries on societal medium — using sustainably source , constitutional component from local farmers and vendors . As a second - generation Chinese - Mexican - American , her pastries — from Taro Cake frost with coconut buttercream to meringue - pinch fudge Brownie — often echo her cultural ties with Chinese , Mexican , traditional American , and pan - Asiatic flavors . She ’ll soon open a cake shop in Chinatown , where she ’ll proffer breakfast items , custom patty founding , and handheld - size of it Cake Bars ( her answer to those who just want “ one piece ” ) . primitively create as a pandemic pastry loge filler , Cake Bars are a take on old - schooltime flat solid cakes , exquisitely decorated with topically harvested , edible blooms , or painted in Flouring ’s now - placeable abstractionist way . How to regularise : Order onlinefor pickup .

Laroolou

ChinatownPies and cookies ( better known as “ thiccies ” ) are laminitis Edlyne Nicolas ’s specialty . The former English eminent school teacher helms Laroolou — an dental amalgam for all the places she ’s lived in , include Los Angeles , Brooklyn , and St. Louis — in Chinatown . From the start , Nicolas was driven to foreground her Filipino setting and American upbringing — flux nostalgic puerility flavors , like Neapolitan ice pick or groundnut butter and banana tree , along with Filipino dessert . Turon , the Filipino afters of fried banana fountain rolls , is channeled into a pie ; Musa paradisiaca are sautéed in brown sugar and butter , processed into a paste , and paired with brûléed brown bread custard . Creamy Ube Halaya — a vivid muddle made from boiled , mashed purple yam — is layer with buttermilk custard and broil into a flaky Earth’s crust . Meanwhile , Nicolas ’s cookies are in a class of their own — thick , enormous , loaded with mixing - ins , blow a soft mediate and slightly crisp edges — in flavors like salted cooky and cream or gamey Mangifera indica darkness chocolate . How to order : guild onlinefor pickup .