Doris Hồ-Kane on the Power of Punk Music, and Creating a Living Archive Through Food and Art in Brooklyn (By Way of Vietnam)

Since opening Bạn Bè last year, Doris Hồ-Kane has sparked a fast-growing following. As New York City’s first Vietnamese American bakery, the small-but-ambitious space is dedicated to celebrating Vietnamese food and community. Hồ-Kane’s butter cookie tin (featuring ingredients like tamarind, ube, and sesame) quickly garnered a 10,000-person waiting list when it started popping up in Instagram feeds. Now, customers line up for her glowing green pandan-coconut waffles and agar jellies shaped like cherry blossoms. As visually impactful as they are, Hồ-Kane’s delicious creations also tell the story of her experience as a child of refugees—and the importance of representation and creative expression. She explores these same themes in her art archive project 17.21 Women, a collection she started as a teen and now shares on Instagram (and in a forthcoming book) that spotlights remarkable Asian and Pacific Islander women throughout history. As you’ll hear, Hồ-Kane offers nourishment and inspiration through her food, her art, and the space they share at Bạn Bè.

To find the latest Bạn Bè menu and news, visit @ban__be. To support the bakery in opening full-time, head to the fundraiser here.

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