An Eventful May
On AAPI month, 3rd monthaversary reflections, and some cool upcoming events!
This newsletter has had many iterations over the past week. It started out as a very vulnerable, personal reflection on the month of May involving AAPI month, mental health awareness month, and Mother’s Day. As an AAPI mom who has mental health struggles, this month highlights a lot of my lived experience. But the more I typed, the more it got to the level of ehh, this borders on oversharing and I’m not sure people want to read this . I decided to scrap it and focus on something more palatable. If you know me, there will be many more personal newsletters to come haha.
Third Monthaversary
Today happens to be three months since we opened our doors for the first time. We’re hitting a groove, settling into a rhythm of daily operations, and feeling good about taking on more things. We introduced preorder cakes on our website, started taking on more large orders and weddings, and are potentially considering wholesale again.
I’ll be honest that coming down from the high of opening has been hard. We’re seeing dips in sales and customers coming in, which is totally understandable after the initial hype, but it makes me worry. My head is constantly filled with numbers and percentages and all the ways we could do things more and better. What are extra revenue streams to pursue? How can we optimize processes to decrease labor cost? Gosh, we really need to get on TikTok and Reels but I’m “old” and hate them. These are all the things that cross my mind daily. The pressure to do it all weighs heavy, but I’m learning to embrace contentment in our smallness. We are a small business and a small team making small batch pastries and food by hand. I know there’s something special about what we’re doing and I like to think that people notice.
May is Asian American Pacific Islander Month
The fact that we now have a month to celebrate Asian Americans is amazing and shows how much can change in just a couple decades. I remember the days when it wasn’t “cool” to be Asian (aka my entire childhood). I had to erase my Asian-ness to stop sticking out like the sore thumb I knew I was. I’m not sure if it’s cooler to be Asian now or if I just don’t care anymore. Whatever the reason, I went from ignoring my culture as a kid and teen to owning a full-on Asian American business as an adult. This shop is my attempt at reconnecting with my heritage, something I am still figuring out how to be proud of, but I figure that participating in some AAPI month-related events is a good start.
AAPI Month Events
Little Asian Bites Night Market Three
Q will be a vendor at Little Asian Bite’s Night Market Three this Thursday, May 16th from 5-10pm at Eastern Market Shed 5. This is a HUGE event that we’re excited to be a part of. Night markets are an integral part of Taiwanese culture and nightlife and I love that Little Asian Bites is bringing that to Michigan. We haven’t ventured much beyond our Ann Arbor boundaries so this is our first time moseying on over to Detroit. Share with all of your metro Detroit friends! We’re planning to make a ton of our classics like chili crisp scones and milk bread buns. While the event is FREE, it is recommended that you get tickets so they can gauge how many attendees there will be.
Jessica Little Fu Pop Up
Jessica Little Fu, an amazing San Francisco Bay Area pastry chef and baking instructor, will be in town and popping up in our shop on Saturday, May 25th starting at 9am! We will have a few of her lovely chiffon cake and pie slices available for purchase. Stay tuned on our social media for the menu drop.
Jessica and I met through Instagram, which I find so funny. I followed her because her whipped cream cakes showed up on my explore feed and I was awestruck by the unbelievably smooth texture. I think I messaged her (something I RARELY do as a complete stranger) asking about her whipped cream. We’ve been baking friends ever since! Her in-laws happen to live near Toledo so we met up for the first time halfway in Adrian while she was in the area. I’m so excited we’ll be able to feature her pastries when she’s in town next weekend!
Salty, Sticky, Sweet
KYLYN APIA Arts and Culture Festival is a multi-day inaugural arts festival that aims to enrich Ann Arbor through APIA arts and culture. The particular event I’m part of is called Salty, Sticky, Sweet with Leo Chen and Shannon Rae Daniels at Bløm Meadworks on Monday, June 3rd at 6:30PM. We’ll each be sharing samples and discussing a signature dish that represents our cultural heritage, personal journey, and vision for the future of APIA cuisine. The event is FREE but pre-registration is required.
I’m looking forward to all of these events and hope to see you at one (or two or all) of them!