Hidden Gems: Meet Tuyen Keodouangsy of YAS Sweets

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tuyen Keodouangsy.

Hi Tuyen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started this venture back in 2020. I remember just browsing through YouTube and seeing ASMR baking videos. It was so calming and the videos make it seem easy. So I started to self-teach myself how to bake and replicate these desserts. I started out with milk breads – not the easiest item to start out with. But I found the entire process to be calming and a big destressor to my everyday adulting life. So I continued it!.

I initially started out making these sweets to give out to family and friends. I never intended to sell them at all. Until one day, a friend reached out and they wanted my desserts for her daughter’s birthday party. She ask me to send her a menu and she would let me know what she wanted. I remember looking at my husband and being the supportive husband he was said I should go for it. So that day was the day that YAS Sweets as created.

I started to post online my creations and advertising my desserts. I started out small – there was like 5 items on my very first menu. I started to get orders almost every weekend. The best sellers were the crinkles cookies – ube and buko pandan. It did not take long for me to realize what I really wanted for YAS Sweets. I wanted to introduce asian flavors and desserts that we can not find regularly here in the metro area. I wanted to offer the joy of my childhood like chè (sweet soup), banh da lon (steamed layered cake), and flavors like pandan, durian, and lychee to everyone. So I did just that, reinventing flavors that I grew up with and pour them into chiffon cakes/cupcakes, cookies, and other delectables.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There definitely were struggles. A lot of people don’t know this but I still work a full-time corporate job. I also have three girls, 2 dogs, and parents I cared for. I was really spreading myself out thin. I remember crying in the early mornings because I was overwhelmed with orders, with very little sleep, and still had family priorities to deal with. I also had that asian mentality that I didn’t know how to say ‘no’, I would still take last minute orders or even squeeze in additional orders even though I was already fully booked. It took me a while to learn how to time manage appropriately, say ‘no’, and to have a good balance between work, business, and family.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
YAS Sweets was actually named after my three girls: Yuna, Ayane, and Saya. They are the ones that really inspired me to continue with this business venture. I really wanted to show them that you can do anything you set your mind to and that you should really do what you love. Also, this is a good way to continue to show them the culture and traditions that their parents grew up with.

We are best known for our chiffon cake/cupcakes and crinkle cookies. The chiffon cakes are airy, light, and not very sweet (perfect for the asian palate). The crinkles are fluffy, full of flavor, and melts in your mouth. It is so rewarding and puts a smile on my face when I see my creations. It really prides me when my customers have so much joy and excitement when they have my desserts. The fact that they can order their cakes from anybody but they order from me and continually return to order from me makes having this business worth while. I am so thankful for all of them.

In the last year, I have started offering gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free options for my chiffon cake and cupcakes. When I was developing these recipes, I really wanted people who have these restrictions to have the opportunity to enjoy my cakes. But it also important to me that it doesn’t alter the taste or texture of the cake. I have had so many people who have tried them and could not tell the difference. I really hope by putting this out there, more people are willing to try it.

What was your favorite childhood memory?
My mom always made the best chè. It was what I looked forward to after dinner or at special occasions. We have many different variations of it. There is sweet corn, glutinous rice and black eye bean, chè Thai (Vietnamese fruit cocktail, and many others. It is a nostalgic childhood food. I think that is why it was so important for me to incorporate these flavors into my desserts.

Pricing:

• Crinkle cookies (ube, buko pandan, Vietnamese coffee, calamansi, guava): 12 for $16
• Dacquiose (white rabbit mochi, matcha red bean, guava cheesecake): 12 for $38
• Chiffon cupcakes: 6 for $18
• Chiffon cakes: starting price at $38

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yassweetskc/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YASsweetsKC