Author Talk: Joyce Tang, Bake Sum

We are excited to welcome founder and owner of Oakland’s Bake Sum bakery Joyce Tang to the shop on Wednesday, October 7th, for an author talk, Q&A, and book signing to celebrate her debut cookbook Bake Sum: Asian American Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats! An ode to the flavors of Asian Americana, Bake Sum demystifies the techniques and flavors behind the popular bakery with 75 dessert and drink recipes, alongside short essays exploring their cultural origins and Joyce's personal journey. Joyce will be in conversation with local author, food writer, recipe developer, and content creator Kat Lieu.

Reservations are non-refundable and can include a signed copy of the $35.00 book. Applicable sales tax and a $2.50 transaction fee are also included. Can't attend but still want a signed book? Order here for shipping or in-store pickup.

About the book: Bake Sum guides readers through classic Asian puddings & jellies like Almond Jello, Mango Pudding, and Taho (sweet silken tofu), before moving on to sesame-studded and matcha scented cookies, beautiful layer cakes, breads, the bakery’s famous laminated pastries, and tarts and pies of all kinds―from an Egg Custard Tart to Miso Apple Turnovers. Learn the secrets of the bakery’s New York Times-lauded Croissubi, a spam musubi-croissant hybrid, how to make perfect milk bread, and how to work with ingredients and flavors like yuzu, black sesame, ube, pandan, and hojicha.    

Between the bakes are thoughtful essays on culture—learn how the Chinese pineapple bun is actually a relative of the concha, and how Shokupan evolved from American-style white bread and became the cottony milk bread that we know today.  

Whether you come to Bake Sum with a deep nostalgia for its flavors, are curious to try a mooncake for the first time or want to learn how to laminate a croissant at home, this is the book for you.

About the author: Joyce Tang started her career in tech at Facebook, but left to enroll in culinary school in 2015. She began working in bakeries and restaurants all over the Bay Area and landed herself an externship at the three-Michelin-starred El Celler de Can Roca while three months pregnant. She counts herself as the first woman to have ever breastfed while working at the illustrious decades-old Catalonian establishment. Joyce founded Bake Sum as a pop-up bakery in the midst of the 2020 pandemic, and the bakery has since grown into a pink storefront in Oakland where she delights fans with her fluffy, colorful, and creative takes on pastry.