Eat Happy
Behind the beautifully decorated cream puffs you see at our pop ups, is a series of tragic events. After losing my mother and brother, I was involved in a car accident that resulted in a near-death experience. Struggling to cope, I lost my job and chances of graduation, eventually hitting rock bottom.
So, I turned to baking as a form of therapy. Getting lost in flavor experiments helped me process the pain and reconnect to the wisdom of my ancestors. I let myself reconnect to the flavors that shaped my childhood. The infinite creative potential of Laotian classics with French techniques and modern ingredients helped me come back to myself. In the endless 12-hour days I spent perfecting a pate a choux, I found the hidden strength to keep going—not just for myself but for my family. For my mother and brother. And for all the immigrant daughters who have seen too much too soon..
In 2022, the long hours spent in the kitchen (fueled by sweat, sugar, and tears) finally manifested into SRF and our homemade choux puff flavors began stealing the hearts of Denver residents. But then, one day, at Cherry Creek Farmer’s Market, a little boy and his mother visited our stand looking for gluten-free treats. We didn’t have any gluten-free options at the time, and the look in the boy's eyes as they walked away empty-handed broke my heart. The next day, I got back into the kitchen, determined to develop a gluten-free pate-a-choux that would be just as good as the original.
Many sleepless nights and back-to-back kitchen shifts later, I did the impossible—develop a gluten-free choux puff recipe that I was proud to showcase all around Denver. That’s when I realized that SRF is not just about fusing Southeast Asian flavors with my favorite French pastries—it’s about family, belonging, and care. It’s about expressing my creativity through culinary creations while creating delightful experiences that bring people joy and pleasure (in a world with so much hardship and pain, we could all use some stress-free sweetness and flavor to transport us to a happy place).
By pairing classic American fruits with Asian tropical fruit flavors and spices, we take customers on a journey through time. I tell the story of my family’s incredible resilience, my mother’s loving care, and the cultural shocks we overcame as immigrants.
Our Mission
We aim to provide our community with delicious treats for any diet without sacrificing flavor or being overly sweet. Our goal is to inspire, educate, and expand your perspective of the world through new and unexpected flavors.
.The Eat Happy™ Philosophy
.At Sweet Rice Flour, our philosophy is built around Eating Happy™, a concept that encapsulates the feeling of an everlasting food experience that transports you to a higher state—solely through the power of flavor. Our treats are designed to consistently take you to your Happy Place. Every. Single. Time.
Taste the SRF Difference
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ArtistryWe are constantly in the kitchen experimenting with new flavor combinations and techniques that are a feast for all the senses. -
QualityAll our chocolate discs are made with Valrhona chocolate, and all our crèmes and fruit jams are made with fresh organic fruit from Palisade, Colorado. -
All NaturalAs my mother always said, “If you can’t pronounce it, we don’t bake with it!” We only use natural plant-based colors. No box mixes, preservatives, or shortening here!
Message from Nancy
Founder, Head Chef, & Culinary Caretaker
My biggest inspiration for SRF comes from family. In my family, I'm known as the "caretaker" because I'm the one who takes care of everyone. So, I make sure that every customer of SRF feels the care of stepping into their mother's (or their grandmother's) kitchen.
.My beautiful mother, who SRF wouldn't be possible without, gave birth to me at a refugee camp in Thailand. I was the middle child of three and the only daughter, which meant I had the responsibility of carrying my family's recipes. But growing up, I wanted nothing to do with cooking or baking!
.We escaped Laos and landed in Denver, Colorado when I was just three years old. By age 10, I was regularly on kitchen duty, helping my mother prepare meals and wash dishes. Throughout my teenage and early adult years, I worked with her for our family business at the laundromat, delivering newspapers to local restaurants and cafes in Denver. Sometimes, I traveled with her to sell life insurance, help her do her taxes, and later, to vend at night markets at Laotian temples in the U.S. So when she passed in 2012, I didn't just lose my mother. I lost my best friend and my mentor.
.Although I've been cooking from an early age, it wasn't always something I was passionate about. But once I discovered the choux au craquelin, something took over me. I practiced for three months, pulling 12-hour shifts to get the pate-a-choux to rise in Denver's high elevation. It was tough, but I never gave up. After I met the young boy and his mom at the market, I was determined to bake gluten-free French cream puffs. So again, I practiced day and night for three weeks straight, throwing away batch after batch until I was able to get the GF pate-a-choux to rise in time for Mother's Day. But I did it. And we sold out that day.
.Still, I've always struggled to feel like I belong in the culinary scene because I don't have any formal training or experience. I taught myself chocolate tempering by reading books, subscribing to online courses, and watching videos by chocolatiers and bakers who I admired. Luckily, today, I realize that a fancy resume could never replace genuine passion and family legacy.
.My favorite part of my job is developing different cream fillings for the choux puffs because I get the chance to experiment with childhood flavors and combine them with new, local ingredients. Because at SRF, we don't just bake to sell; we bake because we care. The flavors of Sweet Rice Flour's choux puffs are inspired by personal experiences, childhood memories, culture shocks, and a desire to make treats enjoyable for everyone.
.Since opening SRF, I have grown as an individual and challenged myself as an entrepreneur. In many ways, I have become the leader I once lost. I'm eternally grateful for all the incredible people I've met along the way, from customers to organizers and other small business owners.
.It's been such a journey, and I can't wait to keep growing our community while delivering mind-blowing flavors to Denver's treat lovers. Thank you for all your support!
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