Tantalizing treats in Lowertown

Jake Spitzack
Staff Writer

Lowertown got a little sweeter this spring with the grand opening of SoYen Desserts. The bakery and restaurant specializes in hand-rolled and filled brioche doughnuts, Japanese cheesecakes and cupcakes, “no bake” crepe cakes and other delectable desserts. SoYen is located in the former Burrito Red space in the Northwestern Building, 275 4th St. E., and is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday through Sunday.

Fresh fruit is infused in or topped on a vast majority of the desserts. Some, such as the burnt Basque cheesecake and crepe cakes, have rotating flavors. May’s flavors were matcha for the cheesecake and mango for the crepe cake, and June’s flavors are lemon ginger and raspberry, respectively.

“In our Asian culture, we love fruit cakes because they aren’t too sweet,” said owner Yen Fang. “I try to incorporate fresh fruit into a lot of my desserts so everyone gets a little bit of fresh fruit in their first bite.”

Fang is a lifelong baker and in 2019 started a Facebook page to post photos of her tantalizing treats. She started selling them to friends and family, and through word of mouth the demand quickly grew. By early 2023, she was selling a few hundred doughnuts every weekend out of a bakery area in her in-law’s catering and event space, Kitchen Zone in Maplewood. Last November, she signed a 2-year lease for the
Lowertown space, and in May resigned from her job at Medtronic to devote herself completely to the bakery.

The space can seat about a dozen inside as well as on the patio, and features a walkup window for placing and picking up orders. Before moving in she installed a new countertop and gave the space a makeover.

“We’re in an older building where there’s a lot of other businesses, which is really cool, but I think it’s just a little tricky… to find where my door access is, so having this walk-up window will be really nice,” said Fang. “The neighborhood is wonderful. I never realized there are so many apartment complexes around here. It’s been nice to see so many people just walk by and welcome us to the neighborhood.” She noted she and her staff are eager to meet people visiting the nearby St. Paul Farmers Market during the busy summer months.

Fang’s brother Kuma Lee recently joined the 9-person team to assist her husband Kong Fang with rolling doughnuts in the morning. He’s also the chef crafting the restaurant’s menu. One of the most popular items is ginger pork congee, a savory rice porridge often eaten by people in Asian cultures when it’s cold outside or when they’re sick.

Beverages include Thai iced tea, a boba milk drink, strawberry Korean milk drink and more. The restaurant may seek a liquor license in the future.

“I never in a million years would have thought that I would end up being my own boss and having my own shop,” said Fang, who said the bakery’s name is a blend of her name and her 6-year-old daughter’s, Giana Soraya. “It took a big leap of
faith…. it’s kind of fun having her [Soraya] around and showing her that potentially in the future this could be all hers.”

If your tastebuds are tingling, you better make plans to stop at SoYen well before closing time, as they’ve sold out by 1:30 p.m. many days since opening. Pre-ordering isn’t available due to the high demand but will be available in the near future after Yen figures out the logistics.

Yen was born in Wisconsin and moved around quite a bit before her family settled in Minnesota in the early 2000s. She credits her grandmother, who immigrated to the United States from Laos, for passing down savvy business sense, and her father Levi Lee – who works in the food industry – for her sweet tooth. For more information, call 651-219-5175, or visit facebook.com/soyendesserts. The bakery’s website was under construction as of press time.

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