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.