Today we’d like to introduce you to Mary Nguyen
Hi Mary, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always had a passion for baking, so much so that my Christmas presents would be multiple Easy Bake Ovens and baking tools year after year. My sister gifted me my first Easy Bake Oven, and I recall sitting in the living room the entire day trying to bake 36 cookies for the class using that light bulb.
My dad would bring home baking utensils that he came across throughout his day. I would make some kind of crazy creation, and he would happily try them.
As I grew older, I would always be in the kitchen with my mom, learning the food from our Vietnamese culture. I continuously look at recipes from all cultures and find it interesting to see how many similarities there are across them! It excites me to see the different variations using the same raw ingredients.
Excited to share the goodies, I was faced with the realization that what seemed so common and enticing to me actually seemed foreign and intimidating to many. Bringing meals to school was greeted with judgment and exclusion. At that moment, I realized there was a gap between my culture and those around me. As years went by, I continued to experience events that widened that gap. This is where the idea of Black Sheep came from. I wanted to change the perspective of the unfamiliar and communicate to others that their uniqueness within themselves and their cultures are pros and should be celebrated!
Black Sheep Bakehouse proudly represents the community built on immigrants by highlighting the unique flavors from various cultures one bite at a time. We started by introducing Asian flavors to a universally loved dessert, cookies! Our current best sellers are the cocopandan and ube.
As we continue to evolve and grow, we are introducing new flavors and baked goods to our menu. We recently offered chiffon cakes, which have been a huge hit! Our pandan young coconut continues to sell out. Our ube brûlée and mango pomelo options are our wild cards that get repeated orders.
Our goal is to continue to offer quality desserts with a focus on the “wild card” flavors from all cultures. It has been a great honor to see our desserts be a part of our communities’ celebrations, and we are truly grateful for all the support we have received. We love seeing our desserts being enjoyed by all generations and being a conversation starter within the community.
Our desserts have had the privilege of bringing families closer together, bridging the gap for Asian Americans, and connecting elders, adults, and youths through each bite.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We have encountered some learning opportunities as we continue to grow the business, such as eliminating the intimidation factor of introducing unique flavors.
For example, our best sellers are pandan and ube. Pandan is a vivid green color, and ube is a bold purple color. Those unfamiliar with them may find these colors unappealing or intimidating. We have been fortunate to meet people who are curious and willing to try them, but we have also received comments indicating some discomfort with the unknown.
I have found that explaining the background of these flavors helps with their introduction. Pandan gets its color from the pandan leaf and is Southeast Asia’s equivalent to vanilla extract, which comes from vanilla beans. Ube is a Filipino native purple yam and is similar to a sweet potato. Similar to sweet potato pie, you can find ube pie and ube cookies.
It’s all about perspective! The unfamiliar is truly not as strange as you might think!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about The Black Sheep Bakehouse?
Black Sheep Bakehouse proudly represents a community built on immigrants by highlighting the unique flavors from various cultures, one bite at a time. Currently, we specialize in gourmet cookies and chiffon cakes, all with unique wild card flavors and quality ingredients.
We stand out through our mission of strengthening the community and offering quality, unique desserts that are perfect for everyone. It has been amazing to hear feedback that our desserts have become conversation starters, connecting families from the elders to the youths. We have been able to help bridge the gap between first-generation immigrants and second/third generations by combining well-loved desserts from both sides.
We treat every order with love and care, as we truly appreciate the trust of our customers! We offer affordable customization for both cookies and cakes to ensure everyone can experience special treatment for their special day.
Black Sheep Bakehouse is more than a bakery; it is a community, and we are so happy to see it grow more every day.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
All the credit goes to my friends and family! Without their support, feedback, and encouragement, I would not have been able to take the next step in offering our desserts to the public. It all started with a batch of cookies, but it has now grown into so much more!
Black Sheep Bakehouse would not be where we are today without the support of our community! Our favorite part of the business is meeting new people within the community and building those connections. Our business is truly like family to us, and each conversation is like adding another member to the family.
We would like to express our deep appreciation for our community! It has been a great honor to have our desserts be part of your big life events, and we strive to continue offering new, quality, and exciting items that are worthy of such value!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theblacksheeptx/
