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13 years of working in the fashion industry and unexpected changes

As the founder of the first Vietnamese traditional bakery in New York, Doris Ho-Kane has created a proud success.

Her store is called “Friends”, where customers will order cake delivery online – but with the condition of waiting – because the number of pre-orders has reached 12,000.

This bakery has partially filled the void of Southeast Asian cuisine in New York with desserts that have an eye-catching appearance and “unbeatable” taste.

Vietnamese woman – from a fashion designer with a love for cakes

Before taking on the role of a pastry shop owner, Ho-Kane had a 15-year career as a fashion designer. Immediately after graduating with a design degree, she worked at Steven Alan’s TriBeCa high-end clothing store and later founded a menswear brand with her husband Mark.

The woman who owns the first pure Vietnamese pastry shop in New York: 13 years of working with the fashion industry and an unexpected transformation - Photo 1.

After 13 years of working with the fashion industry, a Vietnamese woman named Doris Ho-Kane had an unexpected turn and achieved certain success.

Her clothing brand has been sold in more than 40 stores such as Barneys in Tokyo, United Arrows, Steven Alan. She also works in public relations for the Soho art gallery.

With a background in fashion and a sophisticated eye for taste, she uses colors and details in harmony to create the most attractive sweets.

What drew a designer to the food industry?

Since becoming pregnant in 2013, she began to pay more attention to what she was eating. It can be said that food has been with her since childhood to adulthood.

Ho-Kane says: “When I was 11 years old, my parents opened a Vietnamese restaurant. At that time, my siblings would do odd jobs in the restaurant such as taking notes, arranging seats for customers or clearing tables after customers finished eating.

One of the most memorable memories for me is being able to hide with my sister in the corner of the kitchen, eating spring rolls and yogurt made by my mother, and watching the flow of people pass by. Food has always been a part of life, but it wasn’t until I got an apprenticeship and started working that I really had the confidence to pursue it. Cooking a delicious meal for someone is such a simple act but shows so much love.”

The woman who owned the first pure Vietnamese pastry shop in New York: 13 years with the fashion industry and an unexpected transformation - Photo 2.

Eye-catching cakes made by Doris Ho-Kane herself.

“Friends” Bakery Ideas

Having lived in New York for nearly 20 years, Ho-Kane has never seen a shop selling Vietnamese desserts. It is a fact that pure Vietnamese pastries have not yet had a chance to shine, so she wants international friends to know more about her homeland’s cuisine than pho and banh mi.

The woman who owns the first pure Vietnamese pastry shop in New York: 13 years of working with the fashion industry and an unexpected transformation - Photo 3.

When the Covid-19 pandemic began to break out in early 2020, she shelved her plan to open a store to switch to a private chef and wholesaler. Some time later, she decided to move to the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn, hoping to open a cake shop, allowing people to take out on weekends. Finally, Ho-Kane planned to renovate the front of the shop to make it a retail store.

When asked if the Covid-19 pandemic would have any effect on his plans, Ho-Kane replied that: “During the pandemic and unable to work in the usual way, I have been more focused on improving the process. I hope that the money I make from the pastry business will help somewhat. It’s for the beloved community of color.”

The woman who owns the first pure Vietnamese pastry shop in New York: 13 years with the fashion industry and an unexpected transformation - Photo 4.

The items sold at “Friends” bakery are extremely diverse, including some typical dishes worth trying such as: teas, sticky rice, beef cakes, moon cakes, dumplings, cakes. pepper, orange cakeā€¦

But her passion for traditional dishes doesn’t stop there, Ho-Kane shared that she wants to learn more dishes from her never-before-seen grandmother, especially the sticky rice cake that made her trademark. Because her grandmother’s family is in Vietnam, she hopes to have the opportunity to meet and learn more skills from her respected grandmother.

Not only the love of food, but also the passionate love of the homeland

Ho-Kane has always cared about the black community in general and the Asian community in particular. Besides selling cakes, she also collaborates with magazines, making books about the Asian community. She is also the founder of the photography project 17.21 Women, a treasure trove of images and stories of pioneering Asian women.

The woman who owned the first pure Vietnamese pastry shop in New York: 13 years of working with the fashion industry and an unexpected transformation - Photo 5.
The woman who owns the first pure Vietnamese pastry shop in New York: 13 years with the fashion industry and an unexpected transformation - Photo 6.

Currently, Ho-Kane is also working on a book titled “Asian Women: Trailblazers and Luminaries”. The book is expected to be completed in March 2022 and published by Penguin Books in 2023.

The main content of the book revolves around the overseas Asian diaspora, including Japan, Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and South Asian countries such as India. Ho-Kane adds that West Asia will most likely be the subject of her next publication.

Source: Somethingcurated

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