An All-Asian American Pastry Pop-Up Comes to Portland
A pastry box from a Bakers Box pop-up in San Francisco
Image: Courtesy With Warm Welcome
Berlu is known for its pastry boxes boasting slices of green pandan honeycomb cake and mango rolls. But soon, the restaurant will be spotlighting a different kind of pastry box.
Bakers Box is a nationwide project featuring local AAPI bakers in a different city every month; past events have included New York City, Chicago, LA, and Washington, D.C.
The Portland edition of Bakers Box takes place on October 26 at Berlu and will feature 18 desserts from 18 Portland-area Asian American and Pacific Islander bakers, from pop-up talents like Alexandria Guevarra of Allie G’s, Anh Tran of Hey Chaudy, and Lisa Nguyen of HeyDay Donuts to bakers with storefronts like Jin Caldwell and Kyurim Lee of Jinju Patisserie and Thuy Pham of Mama Dút Foods.
The Bakers Box project got its start in March 2021 in New York City to celebrate Women’s History Month and shine a spotlight on Asian American women pastry chefs. Now, the project has expanded to include AAPI bakers of all genders. It’s just one of several projects from With Warm Welcome, a Los Angeles-based community organization aimed at amplifying the role of Asian Americans in hospitality, founded by restaurant industry vet Arnold Byun. Along with the Bakers Box project, With Warm Welcome also has a podcast featuring AAPI restaurateurs, tastemakers, food entrepreneurs, and other food industry folks.
A $100 ticket includes two boxes of pastries, with nine treats in each box. Plus, 10 percent of proceeds benefit the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO). Tickets go on sale October 10 at 10 a.m. EST—purchase online here. The full list of bakers is below
Box 1 of 2
Ada Chavez / Kumare PDX
Alexandria Guevarra / Allie G's
Anh Tran / Hey Chaudy
Dana Pham / Let's Be Sweet Bakery
Geleen Abenoja / Shop Halo Halo
Hailey Zhou / Self
Hanna Gregor / Self
Helen Nguyen / Cake Batch
Holly Ong / SIBEIHO
Box 2 of 2
Jin Caldwell + Kyurim Lee / JinJu Patisserie
Laina Yoswein / Omija Home Bakes
Lisa Nguyen / HeyDay
Maya Okada Erickson / Self
Mio Asaka / Mio's Delectables
Thuy Pham / Mama Dut Foods
Vince Nguyen / Berlu Bakery
Wendy Zhang / Self
Xuan Bale / A. Dood Baked Goods
