Le Bon Garçon's Asian-American Take On French Caramel
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I'm a confectioner born and raised in Southern California with fond memories of spending time in LA Chinatown with my Popo.
I create caramels with flavors inspired by the creativity of Asian-Americans working with local ingredients to make something delicious and personal. Creating quality caramel takes a lot of care and patience. One batch from beginning to end is a multi-day process. That's why our caramels taste so good!
I studied abroad in Paris when I was doing an MBA and fell in love with the culture and pastry. As much as I resisted, I could not get the Parisian pastry out of my mind. I went back for pastry school and worked in pastry there for a year. During that year, I discovered French caramel and decided to spend some time working for Jacques Genin, my favorite caramel maker.
As a 4th generation Chinese American, I never really considered myself an expert in Chinese or Asian-American culture. I'm having fun exploring memories and flavors that I experienced on shopping trips with my Popo in Chinatown through my caramel.
When we changed our packaging, I wasn't sure how it would be received since the brand became so niche and so personal. We really dug deep to make sure that the packaging and flavors were meaningful. When I finally saw the final product, I was so proud to finally have a product that highlighted Asian-American culture despite all the cues I grew up with that told me to try to fit in.
We have some exciting new products coming out soon! We're branching from caramels to other confections, and while it's probably still a long way out from launch, we can't wait to explore new flavors that we couldn't quite capture with caramel. Keep an eye out!
We also have a new family addition on the way, and our first international vacation in 5 years!
Instagram: @lebongarcon
Website: lebongarcon.com
