Two Asian-inspired French pastry spots with new locations in Alameda, shokupan in Berkeley Kitchens and in West Oakland, an Oakland-based vegan mooncake baker, plus pop-up bakeries inspired by Filipino flavors and Korean salt bread — it all adds up to an Asian pastry renaissance in the East Bay.
Many of the baked goods in the new shops have roots in traditional Chinese bakeries and bakeries run for decades by Asian families. Some of the younger generation of Asian American bakers and pastry chefs were heavily influenced by their upbringings, tasting fresh-out-of-the-oven egg tarts, scallion buns, and those childhood favorites: fluffy sponge cakes. There’s nothing like holding a pink box full of surprises, whether it’s for a gift or a quick after-school snack.
These more traditional-style bakeries also serve the community. Kathy Gin, Youth Program Coordinator for Lincoln Square Recreation Center, runs the after-school care and out of school care programs. Frequenting the Oakland Chinatown bakeries is one of Gin’s fond memories from childhood. Today, she continues to work with Wonder Bakery, Princess, Alice Bakery, Napoleon, and Ruby King to donate to events in Oakland.
As for the children in her program, the bakeries are also an affordable way to feed them. “The children’s most favorite choice is the pineapple bun, followed by the hot dog bun,” Gin added.
Nosh asked the younger generation of pastry chefs to share their favorite spots and go-to orders.
Joyce Tang, owner of Bake Sum, grew up going to the bakeries in Oakland’s Chinatown and still shops in the neighborhood. Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen for East Bay Nosh
Tang grew up in the East Bay and spent a lot of time in Oakland Chinatown, where her mom worked nearby at the Wiley W. Manuel Courthouse. She grew up going to Ruby King, one of the oldest Oakland Chinatown bakeries, and later, Napoleon Super Bakery.
“I love my Asian bakeries,” Tang said. “I honestly don’t think I’d be here if they didn’t come first.”
Today, Tang sources ingredients from Chinatown. At Golden Tea Shop, she buys loose-leaf oolong, buckwheat, and osmanthus teas, which are steeped into the pastry creams or infused into the brown butter mochi bites she sells at the Oakland and Alameda Bake Sum shops. At Aloha Market, she buys sweet Ataúlfo mangoes for mango sticky rice and for cakes.
Tang’s haul of egg tarts and other treats from Napoleon Super Bakery. Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen for East Bay Nosh
Her go-to orders include egg tarts at Napoleon Super Bakery (810 Franklin St., Oakland) and sponge cakes at Ruby King Bakery (718 Franklin St., Oakland). Another one of her other favorites is a pastry that’s more under-the-radar: curry pastry puffs from Ruby King.
“I think the quality of their puff pastry is quite nice,” Tang said. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been eating those pastries most of my life.”
(Left) Tang shops for herbs and produce at Aloha Market in Oakland Chinatown. (Right) She also frequents Golden Tea shop for herbs, and where she inspected some dried pink rosebuds. Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen for East Bay Nosh
One thing she appreciates is that the pastries are made fresh each day, a practice she gleaned from Chinatown bakeries that she now instills at Bake Sum. “I have a strong appreciation for the freshness in them and what they mean to the people you bring and share pastries with. The shorter the time period that you can have people enjoy the pastries, from the time it comes out of the oven, the better for everybody involved. That’s an important thing for us.”
Tang makes her selections while shopping at Napoleon Super Bakery in Oakland. Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen for East Bay Nosh
Bake Sum also partners with Sheng Kee, a family-owned local chain, on their seasonal mooncakes. Tang brings in the creative ideas, ingredients, flavors, and even the types of molds that give mooncakes their designs, while Sheng Kee produces and ships them out.
“They have the know-how and expertise. It’s really cool to see their mooncake masters making them.”
(Editor’s Note: Tang published her first Bake Sum cookbook Sept. 1, and will be at Nosh’s BreakFest event Sept. 12 at Hammerling Wines in Berkeley to sell and sign the new book.)
Chou has noticed that Colonial Donuts has introduced more Asian flavors, such as ube, to its lineup. Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen for East Bay Nosh
Many of the desserts at this West Oakland bakery are inspired by ones the pastry chef ate growing up. Her favorite Chinese bakery order includes pork buns, dan tat (egg tarts), and sponge cake cream roll.
“Especially the textures — so light, and fruity, too,” Chou shared with Nosh. “The sponge cake with the cream and strawberry and kiwi slices was something I loved as a kid. I’m really proud of the sponge cakes I make now, because I think they’re a pretty good representation of both nostalgic inspiration and techniques I’ve learned along the way.”
Melissa Chou takes in the full selection of options at Colonial Donuts on Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland. Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen
As for a favorite local Asian bakery, Chou cites Colonial Donuts.
“Colonial is a traditional donut shop, run by an Asian family, with a very wide selection, but I’ve noticed in the past few years they’ve added a few Asian flavors to their lineup,” she said.
Chou calls Colonial’s doughnuts the “best around.” Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen for East Bay Nosh
“To me, that place is a great example of Asian immigrants running a small neighborhood business and finding all the ways to make it both personal and successful,” she continued. “But also, I absolutely love the doughnuts — they’re the best around, always so fresh, and if you go late at night, they’re warm, and the bakers are working hard. Not to mention that before COVID, they had a great late-night crowd of chess players, and it was a fun gathering space for all. I think Colonial is really representative of lots I love about Oakland, and totally inspires me in the ways the family works hard, creates a community space, and makes a really top-notch product.”
Khuu grew up in San Francisco, frequenting the Stockton Avenue Chinese bakeries and Vietnamese bakeries and restaurants in the city. “In a Vietnamese shop, we would usually get the drinks and the pandan coconut sponge cake.”
Now that she has her own bakery in the Berkeley Kitchens, which she recently opened, Khuu is bringing her version of Japanese milk bread and pastries. She told Nosh she likes to support all of the Chinatown bakeries and shops. “I go to Oakland Chinatown for dim sum or egg tarts. ”
Her order at the Chinatown bakeries includes pineapple buns, sponge cakes, the savory corn and ham bun — and, if available, durian cake (usually made upon request as a special order).
At her own bakery in West Berkeley, Khuu recently unveiled a corn sando with sausage shaped like an octopus at Milk Cloud Bakery, inspired by the Chinese bakery ham and corn bun. Khuu makes Basque cheesecakes at her shop, and plans to debut a durian Basque cheesecake, which will be an occasional item announced on Instagram when it’s available.
“My bakery is Japanese-inspired, but at the same time, it’s kind of diverse. I just enjoy bringing my love of food to other people.”
Growing up, Wang and her family moved around a lot, mostly living in the Midwest and South.
She remembers trips from a small town to the bigger nearby city — Little Rock, Arkansas, for example — to stock up at the Asian grocery store and bakery. At the bakery, she’d get a hot dog bun, pork floss bun, ham and corn buns, and sponge cakes.
“But then sometimes we’d visit family in New York,” Wang said. “My grandma used to live in Flushing and, under the main bridge, there were a lot of vendors that had a lot of food. I would always make it a point to stop by one place that had this mooncake that was round, and the inside was a green tea filling. That was my favorite thing to get.”
Later, when she moved to Berkeley, she bought pastries at Sheng Kee (2307 Telegraph Ave., Berkeley) or 85°C Bakery (the Berkeley location closed in 2019, but the bakery can still be found in San Leandro, Fremont, Livermore, and other Bay Area locations). Her favorites were green onion scallion buns, wife cakes, and coffee buns from 85°C Bakery, back when she was vegetarian. (Now she is vegan, and says she isn’t aware of a vegan pastry sold in traditional Chinese bakeries).
Today, Wang shares her love for these treats from her Oakland kitchen, but with vegan versions that are all made by hand, including Little Moon Bakehouse’s mooncakes. One of her first clients was Asha Tea House in Berkeley, which sold her vegan mung bean and green tea-filled mooncakes — with tea sourced from Asha. She sells direct to customers now, shipping orders across the country, but still uses Asha’s matcha tea in her mooncakes.
Melissa Chou, doughnut order in hand, says she takes inspiration from Colonial Donuts for running her own bakery, Grand Opening, in West Oakland. Credit: Thay Chang-Nguyen for East Bay Nosh
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