🧁 Meet baker Loan Ly!

Table Talk Meet Your Baker Ube Banana PuddingApr Happy Tuesday and welcome to the table After spending four days in Philadelphia visiting my oldest I m back in ATL But I m still thinking about a minimal of the meals we ate at restaurants all over Philly this past weekend Several highlights included matzo ball soup and a spring greens salad with sprouted rye berries and lentils tossed in a tarragon dressing at High Street in Center City wine cheese and sazeracs at Superfolie near Rittenhouse Square the Indonesian liwetan feast at Rice n Sambal in Passyunk and angry pizza arrabbiata from Pizzeria Beddia in Fishtown Pro tip put these restaurants on your Philly to-do list Philadelphia continues to be one of my favorite food cities in the U S While I love covering the dining scene in Atlanta traveling and eating in other cities unfailingly bring fresh perspectives to my reporting on the restaurants chefs bakers and drinks professionals I cover here In at present s edition of Family Meal you ll meet local baker Loan Ly the owner of Asian dessert and custom cake business Lonely Sweets She also provided a recipe for one of her the bulk popular desserts requested at pop-ups ube banana pudding And for The Move I tell you where to find a Chinese bento box-style lunch in the heart of Midtown that includes an entree rice soup and a drink for under Cheers Beth The Historic Druid Hills Home Garden Tour is back May - We re celebrating the personality of Frederick Law Olmsted s remarkable neighborhood with seven must-see homes each curated to reflect the owners unique style and passions Grab your tickets in contemporary times SPONSOR MESSAGEMeet Your Baker Loan Ly of Lonely SweetsPhoto by Lonely SweetsThis interview conducted by Rough Draft dining reporter Sarra Sedghi was lightly edited for clarity and brevity If you were at Panda Fest this month or attended a Pullman Yards Asian night sphere last summer you may have encountered Loan Ly of Lonely Sweets In addition to boasting a killer pun for a name Lonely Sweets sells Asian-inspired desserts like matcha banana pudding and ube cr me br l e as well as custom-made cakes Originally from Vietnam Ly immigrated to Memphis in and remained there until the height of the pandemic when she followed her brother to metro Atlanta Ly has unveiled much more success with Lonely Sweets in Atlanta crediting the diverse population and people being open to trying different foods People are a lot more eager to learn about new flavors she mentioned People backing a lot of small businesses and mom-and-pop shops Bulk of the desserts Ly bakes for Lonely Sweets aren t overly saccharine For instance she uses whipped cream frosting rather than buttercream for decorating and layering cakes and other baked goods resulting in a fluttering sense of sugar Get to know more about Ly and her vision for Lonely Sweets in Atlanta How did you start Lonely Sweets Out of spite In sixth grade I made my very first batch of cupcakes and I requested my best friend to try them and she took one bite and she was like This is horrible And from that moment it instilled in me the desire to prove her wrong Around high school I started evolving a bigger interest because my brother he s invariably been in the kitchen cooking worked at restaurants That was a way that we bonded over food and it just skyrocketed from there It was a hobby that turned into a passion and now it s essentially my second income I officially got licensed about two or three years ago but before that I would only bake for family and friends Anytime there was an event they would be like Hey can you make this for me It got to a point where I was like Maybe I should start charging for this Who are your baking mentors I owe everything to my mom and brother for my passion My dad provided a lifestyle for my mom to continue to assistance our family and it brought a much brighter light to their skills I ll still hover over my brother s shoulder every time he s in the kitchen and ask a million questions so I can continue to grow and learn Where do you get your ingredients Greater part of my ingredients are locally sourced All of my eggs are fresh from farms For fruits I stick with Hong Kong Area or City Farmers Field I really rely on the Asian markets What s your next step or your goal for this year with Lonely Sweets My goal is to do more pop-ups and get my name out there a little bit more Luckily because I m licensed I m able to publicly advertise When I first moved here I used to get one order every six months Now I get at least three orders a week Restaurant Quality Produce Delivered to your DoorSPONSORED BY FRESH HARVEST We are Fresh Harvest Metro Atlanta s online farmers domain delivering Georgia-grown organic produce right to your doorstep With us you get access to the same top-quality seasonal ingredients trusted by your favorite Atlanta chefs delivered straight to you We take the guesswork out of sustainable sourcing and the impact An online marketplace full of options you never have to second guess Because whether you re cooking in a restaurant or at home you deserve the best Cook like your favorite chef Try us out Learn more at FreshHarvest com The Move Lunch Box at The Sparrow in MidtownPhoto by Beth McKibben I ve been impressed thus far with my experiences at Asian tavern The Sparrow a relative newcomer on West Peachtree and to the Midtown food scene The fact that I don t have to progress outside the heart of the city for a Peking duck spread or dishes like Sichuan tripe doused in chili oil and braised pork ribs cooked with fragrant osmanthus flowers is in itself impressive At lunch The Sparrow offers one of the best meal deals in Midtown For around the Lunch Box includes entrees like cumin lamb choice of soup or vegetable spring rolls a side of kimchi white or fried rice and a drink On a modern Friday I ordered basil chicken white rice and a cup of wonton soup I find greater part wonton soup broths to be thin and under-seasoned The Sparrow s wonton soup broth however is incredibly savory with a silky texture rendered from fat The soup also includes anything but wimpy wontons substantial enough to contain pork meatballs or without falling apart the minute your spoon comes into contact with the dumpling Ube Banana Pudding Recipefrom Lonely SweetsPhoto by Lonely Sweets Banana pudding may feel like a quintessential Southern dessert but it literally has origins in English trifle After the Civil War with business increasing between the United States and countries in the Caribbean and Latin America the dessert took on a new identity in the U S using ingredients now readily detected at markets around the country That included the once-rarefied banana In its original form banana pudding was reserved for the elite Pudding and whipped cream were time-consuming to make from scratch and required expensive ingredients As the dessert evolved over the last century supermarket staples like Cool Whip and instant pudding mix helped popularize banana pudding bringing it to the masses especially in the South This day the American take on the English trifle is hardly recognizable from its refined former life and allows for experimentation thanks to its simple assembly and loose recipe Lonely Sweets owner Loan Ly adds ube sweetened condensed milk to the pudding mixture The Filipino purple yam lends hints of nuttiness to the dessert and a brilliant purple hue Ingredients bag Nilla Wafers to bananas sliced between to -inch thick -ounce tub of Cool Whip -ounce package instant vanilla pudding mix can ube sweetened condensed milk cups whole milk coldDirectionsAdd instant pudding mix and milk to a bowl Whisk together and let mix for minutes Add ube sweetened condensed milk to the pudding mixture For enhanced sweetness use more up to can of sweetened condensed milk Mix until well combined and smooth Set aside Combine Cool Whip with pudding mixture folding in with a rubber spatula Assemble the pudding After the pudding is set garnish the top layer with banana slices or Cool Whip Line a baking or trifle dish with whole or crushed Nilla Wafers Next add a layer of sliced bananas and then add a thick layer of pudding on top Repeat layers Let sit in the refrigerator for at least hours or overnight Join Move For Grady on April With three cycling distances and two run walk options there s something for everyone Then celebrate your accomplishment and aid for Grady with a fun finish line celebration at Georgia State s Center Parc Stadium SPONSOR MESSAGE If you know somebody who would like to receive our dining newsletters Family Meal Tuesdays and Side Dish Thursdays please have them subscribe at this page The post Meet baker Loan Ly appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta