OUR STORY
Joyce started Bake Sum in 2020 just in time for the pandemic making pastries and sweets that represent their upbringings. We love all things leavened, fluffy and delicious and utilize our skills as pastry chefs to bring you memorable pastries. We believe that pastries should be fun, beautiful, creative, and above all delicious.
The word "Sum" or 心 has many meanings and when translated directly into Cantonese Chinese it means heart. Sum also represents the addition of two or more things, people and/or ingredients. With Bake Sum, we share with you a little piece of our hearts in each pastry. We hope to meet you soon.
OUR TEAM
JOYCE
Joyce is a Bay Area native and worked in Silicon Valley for nearly a decade before she decided to focus on pastry. She founded La Chinoiserie and has partnered with many local coffee shops to supply pastries. La Chinoiserie and Joyce have been covered in publications like, the SF Chronicle, NPR and on KTVU.
In 2020 during the pandemic, wholesale pastries and coffee business both completely changed and forced us to make multiple pivots, but Joyce's love for pastries never waned. One of such pivots was the Bake Sum Box, filled with delicious, seasonal, fresh pre-packed pastries. It allows us to keep socially distanced, continue to make delicious pastries and get them into your bellies faster.
ARI
Ari is a born and raised Bay Area lover of food, art and people. Their journey with Joyce and Bake Sum started when they were introduced to the world of “specialty” through third wave coffee. In their nearly 10 years as a coffee professional, Ari worked as a barista, manager and marketing consultant before deciding to take a sabbatical to study the migration of spices throughout history with the ultimate goal of fighting to decrease the inequities within business chains of coffee and food alike. In their spare time, Ari enjoys studying ceremonies and traditions of foods, baking vegan delights and jumping in & out of photojournalism.
VANESSA
Vanessa loves to make things with her hands as a means to explore the world and the many connections within it. She considers herself a baking dilettante with an eye for the Arts, an ear for music, a nose for trouble, a mind for stories and philosophical musings, and a heart for all living things. She lives in the Bay Area and doesn't plan on ever leaving it.