Hidden Gems: Meet Phoenix Bakery

Today we’d like to introduce you to Phoenix Bakery.

Hi Phoenix, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
The Chan Family started the bakery in 1938 as New Chinatown took roots on Broadway. FC, his wife Wai Hing and borther, Lun offered traditional Chinese pastries in a safe space for the community. Lun developed the bakery’s signature strawberry whipped cream cake in the 1970s and put Phoenix Bakery on the map for the greater LA area.

This signature cake became a “go to” for birthdays and celebrations around the city. The “not too sweet” dessert always featuring fresh strawberries was at school functions, municipal functions and family gatherings. Accompanying the cakes were also Phoenix’s almond cookies and sticky sugar butterflies to round out the treats. Residents of Chinatown would also stop by each morning for a traditional Chinese pastry including wintermelon pastry or steamed pork buns.

While a few items have come and gone, the cakes, almond cookies and sugar butterflies remain a staple. The legacy of Phoenix Bakery in Los Angeles including it’s signature products have kept the business going as multiple generations of customers greet multiple generations of bakery family members.

Today, the bakery continues to be owned and managed by the 2nd generation while a handful of the 3rd generation also contribute to the business.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Trying to find the balance between what Chinatown was in the past and where it is headed has proved challenging to the Phoenix Bakery family. A shifting business model, government regulations, and approach to a broader customer base have also affected the business.

Surprisingly, the pandemic proved a turning point in the business and forced the family to reconsider some of the older ways of doing things. With online visibility, a younger audience, the business model pivoted and is still a work in progress. The Phoenix Bakery family wants to stay true and affordable to loyal customers, but also needs to consider the new market, where Chinatown is today, and what makes sense for the future.

The Chan family members have been privileged with a choice to their own future careers, unfortunately, managing Phoenix Bakery was not one of them. The 3rd generation are succeeding in other professions, raising their families in other areas of Los Angeles and even other states. Each has a deep appreciation for what the bakery has afforded and what the legacy of means to the city of Los Angeles. But, as much as everyone wants to see the legacy of the bakery thrive, the succession is a hot topic of discussion.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Phoenix Bakery?
Phoenix Bakery provides desserts and traditional Chinese pastries in LA’s Chinatown. Family-owned and operated by the Chan Family, it’s been a staple of the city.

How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Phoenix Bakery has always supported the Chinatown community and even the greater LA community. Customers have continued to support the business by returning year after year and sharing their stories, the bakery’s story and more with new friends and family.

Phoenix donates cakes to the local senior and community center, Food Banks and participates in many local organizations/events. The bakery family is open to other opportunities and will consider each individually.

As a business, Phoenix Bakery is open to collaborating on new items that showcase our products where they are able. One recent collab was with Steep LA, amazing tea house across the street on a seasonal beverage featuring the traditional almond cookie.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.phoenixbakeryinc.com
• Instagram: @phoenixbakery