Sugar & Krumbs

Kim Luo’s passion for pastries began when she was in third grade. Growing up back then in Korea, Kim had no access to the internet and nobody had an oven in their kitchen. “No one baked at home in Korea,” said Kim. “If you wanted cookies or baked goods, you had to order them from a bakery. These days there are ovens in the newer homes, but back then all cooking was done by sauteing, frying, steaming, everything on the stove.” It wasn’t until Kim’s family had to relocate to the United States for her father’s work that she could access the internet and began printing out recipes of cookies. “It blew my mind that people could bake at home.”

 

 

Kim’s family moved back and forth between Korea and the United States a few times until Kim moved here permanently on her own. “I moved to California about ten years ago all by myself,” said Kim. “I found a job and figured I’d go for it; worst case scenario, I’d just move back home. All of my family is still in Korea. I’m a little bit of a daredevil in that way.” After relocating to the United States, the baking possibilities were endless. “Back in Korea, you would have to go to a huge supermarket to find ingredients like powdered sugar,” said Kim. “Then when I moved here, you can access anything you need, anywhere. It was heaven for me. That’s when my baking really took off.”

 

With every ingredient easily accessible, in addition to the discovery of YouTube, Kim began to master a variety of baking methods. “I am self-taught, and originally baked just as a hobby.” After years of baking just for family and friends, Kim’s husband convinced her to create a Facebook page. “I opened my Facebook page in 2017 and didn’t sell a whole lot at first,” said Kim. “It was more word of mouth, but then COVID happened and things changed.” A handful of Kim’s friends encouraged her to sign up for the Great American Baking Show, which she reluctantly did, and ended up being a finalist. “I didn’t make it all the way onto the show, but making it that far gave me the confidence boost I needed. So, during the lockdown I figured I’d just go for it.” After building her client base online, Kim opened Sugar & Krumbs in March of 2022.

 

 

At first Kim was unsure how she wanted to present her business without a brick-and-mortar. “I looked at food trailers, but I’m not an overly confident driver, so I needed something I felt comfortable in,” said Kim. “So, I found a golf cart and transformed it.” The Sugar & Krumbs cart can be found stuffed full of French pastries, like croissants, and Asian cakes, like strawberry shortcakes and crème puffs. Kim also offers a variety of other pastries including banana pudding, crème brûlée, eclairs, and strawberry mascarpone. “I tried cookies, doughnuts, fondant cakes; I tried it all over the years. The French pastries gave me the most excitement. I knew that was my calling.” Sugar & Krumbs’ most popular items are the crème puffs and kronuts. The crème puffs also happen to be Kim’s favorite item to make. “I can make them with my eyes closed at this point, typically finishing in less than two hours. Croissants, on the other hand, take three days to complete.”

 

 

The Sugar & Krumbs cart can be found at various local events, but the easiest way to taste these delicious creations for yourself is to message Kim through her Instagram page or website, which has a full menu and option to place custom orders. As for the future of Sugar & Krumbs, Kim would love to eventually have a brick-and-mortar location. “I would love that! However, it is challenging with kids and without family close by. I’m really happy with how things are going right now. It hasn’t been turned into work, work, work. I still really enjoy baking.”