About Us
Third Culture Bakery is nationally recognized for its Genuine Mochi Muffins, cream mochi doughnuts, and many other refreshments and delicacies inspired by the founders' upbringing in a different culture than their parents. Chef Sam Butabutar and Wenter Shyu founded the bakery brand in 2016 to represent inclusion, diversity, and acceptance.
The Tale of Third Culture Bakery:
After falling in love, Chef Sam Butarbutar and Wenter Shyu opened their bakery in 2016. Initially, they were the only employees and sold their unique product to only six wholesale coffee shops.
The Mochi Muffin quickly became a cult favourite, and one year after opening, the bakery was able to recruit its first employee. By 2018, the firm had expanded to more than 60 wholesale outlets and employed more than 20 full-time bakers, delivery drivers, store staff, and managers.
The Source of Third Culture Bakery's Inspiration:
The bakery's unique goods were inspired by the owner's fondness for the sweets they enjoyed as children in Indonesia and Taiwan. The unique dish of the bakery was inspired by an Indonesian delicacy his mother used to cook.
The Menu Items Are:
Third Culture provides a selection of beverages and sweets inspired by many cultures:
Mochi Muffins:
The Mochi Muffin is the product that established Third Culture. The muffin was invented by chef Sam Butarbutar in 2014, based on his mother's recipe for the traditional Indonesian treat. He sought to produce a new product with the same cultural significance and sentimentality as the original.
The Mochi Muffin has a somewhat crunchy outside and a chewy middle, and it is flavoured with brown butter, caramel, and coconut. Third Culture Bakery prepares the Mochi Muffin only using mochiko rice flour from Koda Farms, coconut milk and pandan blended in-house, and French-style butter. Adding black and white Japanese sesame seeds creates the unique appearance of the muffin.
Butter Mochi Donuts:
Instead of being fried, the butter mochi doughnuts from Third Star Bakery are baked to achieve the lightness of fried dough and the rich chewiness of butter mochi. In addition to the same mochiko rice flour and French-style butter used in the Mochi Muffin, the butter mochi doughnut is made with local dairy milk.
Third Culture's glazes all feature fresh fruits or other carefully obtained components. For instance, the bakery's famous black sesame doughnut glaze comprises Japanese black sesame seeds that are stone-ground into a silky paste.
Matcha:
Matcha is a green tea powder that is stone-ground. Third Culture's matcha is made from Kyoto's first and second harvests, Japan's Uji sencha green tea leaves.
The matcha utilized by Third Culture has more than 130 times as many antioxidants as common green teas or goji berries. It provides peace, tranquillity and a small amount of caffeine. Third Culture serves its matcha as a latte or sparkling matcha fruit infusion, always hand-whisked for optimal flavour and pleasure.
Mochi Brownies:
Third Culture Bakery creates mochi brownies using cocoa powder from Bay Area chocolatier TCHO, mochiko rice flour, and French-style butter. These brownies are chewier than traditional brownies and incorporate chocolate chips for a chocolaty boost.
Giving Back to the Community:
Third Culture, a gay, Asian-owned business, is about more than just cuisine. Winter and Sam, the company's founders, have worked diligently to create excellent pastries and transmit a culture of love. They want this love to extend beyond the doors of their establishments to all marginalized populations, demonstrating that inclusivity can be tasty and beneficial for all.
Love continues to guide all of their actions, from making business decisions to developing new dishes. The bakery represents the family they have chosen and formed, and they wish every client to join it.
Each year, Culture Bakery donates a portion of its assets to various organizations, such as the Berkeley Humane Society, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, SF LGBT Center, The Trevor Project, and 1951 Coffee Company, a non-profit that employs and trains refugees and asylum seekers while educating the community and building bridges. During the peak months of the epidemic, the bakery contributed thousands of dollars to a Bay Area emergency assistance fund for LGBTQ and BIPOC individuals.
Also, Third Culture Bakery prepared and distributed safety kits to prevent a wave of bigotry and violence towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. These kits contain pepper spray and audible key fobs. Winter and Sam got over 5,200 requests for these kits and distributed far over 22,000 of them.
The Tale of Third Culture Bakery:
After falling in love, Chef Sam Butarbutar and Wenter Shyu opened their bakery in 2016. Initially, they were the only employees and sold their unique product to only six wholesale coffee shops.
The Mochi Muffin quickly became a cult favourite, and one year after opening, the bakery was able to recruit its first employee. By 2018, the firm had expanded to more than 60 wholesale outlets and employed more than 20 full-time bakers, delivery drivers, store staff, and managers.
The Source of Third Culture Bakery's Inspiration:
The bakery's unique goods were inspired by the owner's fondness for the sweets they enjoyed as children in Indonesia and Taiwan. The unique dish of the bakery was inspired by an Indonesian delicacy his mother used to cook.
The Menu Items Are:
Third Culture provides a selection of beverages and sweets inspired by many cultures:
Mochi Muffins:
The Mochi Muffin is the product that established Third Culture. The muffin was invented by chef Sam Butarbutar in 2014, based on his mother's recipe for the traditional Indonesian treat. He sought to produce a new product with the same cultural significance and sentimentality as the original.
The Mochi Muffin has a somewhat crunchy outside and a chewy middle, and it is flavoured with brown butter, caramel, and coconut. Third Culture Bakery prepares the Mochi Muffin only using mochiko rice flour from Koda Farms, coconut milk and pandan blended in-house, and French-style butter. Adding black and white Japanese sesame seeds creates the unique appearance of the muffin.
Butter Mochi Donuts:
Instead of being fried, the butter mochi doughnuts from Third Star Bakery are baked to achieve the lightness of fried dough and the rich chewiness of butter mochi. In addition to the same mochiko rice flour and French-style butter used in the Mochi Muffin, the butter mochi doughnut is made with local dairy milk.
Third Culture's glazes all feature fresh fruits or other carefully obtained components. For instance, the bakery's famous black sesame doughnut glaze comprises Japanese black sesame seeds that are stone-ground into a silky paste.
Matcha:
Matcha is a green tea powder that is stone-ground. Third Culture's matcha is made from Kyoto's first and second harvests, Japan's Uji sencha green tea leaves.
The matcha utilized by Third Culture has more than 130 times as many antioxidants as common green teas or goji berries. It provides peace, tranquillity and a small amount of caffeine. Third Culture serves its matcha as a latte or sparkling matcha fruit infusion, always hand-whisked for optimal flavour and pleasure.
Mochi Brownies:
Third Culture Bakery creates mochi brownies using cocoa powder from Bay Area chocolatier TCHO, mochiko rice flour, and French-style butter. These brownies are chewier than traditional brownies and incorporate chocolate chips for a chocolaty boost.
Giving Back to the Community:
Third Culture, a gay, Asian-owned business, is about more than just cuisine. Winter and Sam, the company's founders, have worked diligently to create excellent pastries and transmit a culture of love. They want this love to extend beyond the doors of their establishments to all marginalized populations, demonstrating that inclusivity can be tasty and beneficial for all.
Love continues to guide all of their actions, from making business decisions to developing new dishes. The bakery represents the family they have chosen and formed, and they wish every client to join it.
Each year, Culture Bakery donates a portion of its assets to various organizations, such as the Berkeley Humane Society, San Francisco AIDS Foundation, SF LGBT Center, The Trevor Project, and 1951 Coffee Company, a non-profit that employs and trains refugees and asylum seekers while educating the community and building bridges. During the peak months of the epidemic, the bakery contributed thousands of dollars to a Bay Area emergency assistance fund for LGBTQ and BIPOC individuals.
Also, Third Culture Bakery prepared and distributed safety kits to prevent a wave of bigotry and violence towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. These kits contain pepper spray and audible key fobs. Winter and Sam got over 5,200 requests for these kits and distributed far over 22,000 of them.