We recently connected with Brian Duong and have shared our conversation below.

Brian, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

I think it’s safe to say that I literally have the best customers/clients/friends ever. The bakery has connected me with so many sweet individuals that I forget that I’m the one that’s supposed to supply something sweet to them. A couple of months ago I felt overwhelmed, anxious, and pressured from running the bakery (being the sole baker, social media person, r&d person, etc). Trying to keep up with other businesses by being a vendor at a pop-up/market every two weeks on top of custom orders, maintaining a personal life, a relationship, etc, was exhausting. I had stopped taking care of myself and lost sight of what the bakery was intended to be. After staying up till 3:00AM preparing for a farmer’s market then waking up a few hours later to be a vendor at said market from 9:00AM-3:00PM, I decided to take an unannounced hiatus from the bakery. I continued to do custom orders but for about a month I stopped posting on social media, didn’t schedule any pop ups, and essentially made it seem as if the bakery was no longer in business. I then did the bare minimum for a bit; I showed up to my part time job as a veterinary technician, spent time with my family, and took care of my dogs. Near the end of the month-long hiatus, I took some time to reflect and address why I was getting burnt out from trying to hustle to keep up with other businesses. Having set new boundaries for myself, I took to social media to let my audience know that the bakery was still in business and that I was going to announce soon when the next pop-up/market would be. I had only briefly mentioned that I was going through a slump and that I felt guilty for not letting my clients know why I had disappeared. For the next few hours, I had dozens of messages flooding my inbox. From followers I had never spoken to, to business owners I had an abundance of respect for, all the messages they sent were in support of my decision and were reminders to prioritize myself. Safe to say I was overwhelmed with so much love and encouragement that I broke into tears multiple times that day. This was the kindest gesture I could have ever received from a platform where I felt that I’m just a simple home baker. I kept screenshots of every single message I received that day as reminders of the people I want to continue to share my baked goods with.

Brian, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Brian Duong and I’m 26 years old, my pronouns are he/him/his, am a first generation Vietnamese American, and I own Brian’s Bitchin’ Bakery here in Houston, TX! I got into the baking business after years of baking for fun and health, seeing the dessert scene be continuously innovative, and eventually wanting to share a personal touch to desserts. I sell Asian flavor inspired desserts such as jasmine milk tea cookies, Thai tea tiramisus, matcha strawberry pop tarts, and more! The bakery actually originated when I was in undergrad going through a difficult time with my mental health. I was looking for ways to kill time and be productive which eventually led to using baking as a creative outlet. It was something I was always curious about dabbling in so I thought, “why not?” I would spend hours every day making cupcakes, macarons, cake pops, etc. and share with family and friends. Eventually, I began to lean towards Asian influenced desserts like Vietnamese coffee and chocolate cupcakes and matcha oat cookies. My loved ones would always support me and playfully ask when I’d open a bakery (a very sweet and supportive sentiment).
Fast forward a few years later to the fall of 2020: I’m in veterinary school, classes are online due to COVID-19, and I’m still baking and cooking for sustenance. Because I was into houseplants at the time, I noticed a new local plant market was looking for vendors and didn’t have a vendor fee. I joked with my friends about whether or not I should apply as a vendor since I’ve been wanting to share my baked goods with people outside of my family and friends. I already had experience doing bake sales during undergrad so I knew logistics of prep, set up, advertising, etc. So it became another “why not” moment and I went for it! I was approved as a vendor, recruited old friends who did the bake sales with me in undergrad, and things started to fall into place. For the name, I wanted something that represented me, was catchy, and that no one would forget. B*tch happens to be my favorite curse word and so, Brian’s Bitchin’ Bakery was born. After the name was enthusiastically approved by the market manager, something deep down inside me felt like this was going to be a fun chapter in my life.
I knew I wanted to share desserts I didn’t see as much as growing up so I had Vietnamese coffee and chocolate cupcakes as well as the matcha oat cookies on the menu during my first market. I thought nerves would get to me but I was actually more excited than anything! The look on peoples faces when they saw what I offered, the reactions to smelling the coffee through the cupcake boxes, and selling out made an unforgettable first experience!
What I feel sets me apart from others is offering twists on desserts that aren’t as commonly offered by large bakeries. Creating desserts such as a Thai tea tiramisu for someone’s birthday or boba flavor inspired cookies for a wedding are opportunities I’ve been given that I’m still wrapping my head around. It also helps that I don’t have a storefront and only do pop ups, markets, and custom orders which makes the treats all the more exclusive haha. Additionally, the bakery provides another income to which it only feels right to give to those who could benefit from financial support. Having this platform additionally gives me the chance to give back to non-profits such as The Trevor Project, the Asian Mental Health Collective, I’ll Have What She’s Having, and more. Collaborating with other bakers to create dessert boxes as well as being invited to With Warm Welcome’s the Baker Box for Houston are just more of moments I’ll forever be proud of. Getting to share something I’m so passionate about, continuously brainstorming the next dessert, and being a part of people’s special occasions are just some of the things I’m most thankful for.

Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.

Because I grew up watching the Food Network on the daily, my respect for the culinary arts is way up there. Tasting food made from scratch and from quality ingredients influenced my perspective on how to approach a recipe. So every cookie is made from a core recipe I had to develop to create a chunky, chewy, buttery, and not too sweet cookie. It took a while but eventually I was able to get there! For different flavors, I do my best to avoid adding synthetic flavors and try to be as natural and true to the flavor I’m working towards. Cookies such as earl gray lavender or Thai tea are made with real tea leaves and not instant powders or extracts. Making my own fillings for treats such as the spiced caramel apple cobbler cookie or the matcha strawberry pop tart is such a strenuous process but so worth it in the end. It can definitely be inconvenient with the time crunch if there’s a holiday coming up and I’m being overambitious to make a new flavor before the holiday. One cookie took 8 batches (*cough cough* Vietnamese coffee and chocolate I’m looking at you) to get the ratio of flavor to texture to sweetness right. But knowing that I was able to create a dessert I’m proud of, spent hours on end testing, and to have others enjoy them the way I did results in a feeling I can’t compare to anything else. Overtime, I’ve been able to give myself a bigger window of experimentation if I’m wanting to crank out a new flavor of anything. Considering how certain ingredients will react to another, what would make a batter too dry or wet, etc are some of the things I had to figure out the hard way. But I guess that’s what comes with the job if I’m baking for people other than my family and friends haha.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

In addition to being current on how the market for small bakers works on social media, advertising, etc, I think being a good and genuine person helps. Since the beginning I’ve always been an open book, honest, and myself. Whether it was in person or on social media, I’ve done my best to treat everyone with respect and be the extrovert I am haha. Additionally I knew I had to be open to criticism, new ideas, and change if I were to grow and learn in a field I still consider myself a student in. With this mindset I constantly am upping the bar for myself and the standards on how to operate my small business. Maybe it’s a never ending curiosity and excitement for how to make my business better everyday while staying true to who I am and what I want the bakery to be. I’d like to think I’m doing something right because I’ve been lucky enough to have repeat loyal customers, gain genuine connections with other bakers (some who are my friends I can talk about non-bakery related things), and be offered opportunities I didn’t think I’d ever get within the 2 years the bakery has been in business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://briansbitchinbakery.com/
• Instagram: @briansbitchinbakeryofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/briansbtchinbakery

Image Credits
Brian Duong Maritere Casillas Rice