This third generation Chinese-American baker shares a sweet taste of her Phoenix childhood

Self-taught baker Alex Layshock's love of food has deep roots. Her great grand parents owned Peking Chinese Cafe in the forties in downtown Phoenix. She shared a photo of a green matchbook with the name of the restaurant and its address. "We found that matchbook last year when we were helping my grandma move out of their house." She calls her self a third generation Chinese-Phoenician devoted to Phoenix and her Chinese culture.

"For a lot of people of color, families don't always say what they want to say, but we are always going to make sure that you are fed," she said. "I just grew up in the kitchen, always seeing the women in my family holding it down and making all the food, so I developed a passion and draw for it."

Her love of food manifested itself in baking. Family members started relying on her for their potlucks and parties. Over time, they encouraged her to sell her baked goods.

In spring 2017, Layshock, then in her seventh year of teaching seventh grade English, was making a batch of croissants with a friend and listening to "Voyager" by indie singer-songwriter, Jenny Lewis.

In that moment, she decided to take a break from teaching and open a one-woman bakery. "I thought if I don't try something new and see what I can accomplish now, I never will," she said. A month later, she put together some treat boxes for area boutiques and coffee shops. Lauren Danuser at Local Nomad offered her a pop-up opportunity in May 2017 and shortly after, Jonathan Ortiz of then Regroup Coffee + Bicycles placed the first wholesale order.

After a few months, she officially launched Voyager Bakeshop from her home.

One of the connections she made during this time was with Michela Ricci, the owner of Early Bird Phx coffee stand, who would sell Layshock's baked goods. When Ricci opened Monsson Market near the corner of Seventh Street and Osborn Road in Phoenix, she invited Layshock to do pop-ups there.

"Thanks to open-armed community partners," she said, the business was a success.

In 2021, Layshock found a way to combine her two passions by teaching culinary and agriculture at Garfield elementary, where the students learn how to grow vegetables and cook with them. She now juggles her online business, pop-ups and teaching.

And she couldn't be happier.

"I'm in a fortunate place to be making things that I care about," Layshock said.

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Making nostalgic sweets in a contemporary way

"I like to make treats that are memorable, but present them in a new way."

She sells her French macarons, brownies bites, salted chocolate chip and stardust cookies by the dozen, pop-tarts come in pack of eights. Specialty treats and custom cakes can be ordered. And gluten-free and vegan options are always available.

Twist her arm and maybe she'll tell you her favorite item to bake. "It's like asking me to pick my favorite child." But if you insist, she'd say a classic salted chocolate chip cookie and, believe it or not, macarons.

Those who have ever tried to make macarons know how finnicky they are. Google has millions of searches each month related to macaron troubleshooting — temperature, humidity, a strong fan, over or undermixing can all have a negative effect. Making perfect macarons is no easy feat.

Layshock said she whispers sweet nothings to them, tells them she's proud of them and hypes them up before putting them in the oven.

The results speak for themselves.

Her most unusual macaron is made with one of her guilty pleasures: Flamin' Hot Cheetos. She calls them little monsters. "Everyone who tries them, is like, wow. I can't explain it, but I like it."

Creating a perfectly modern mooncake

"When I pop up, I'd like to have one classic and one funky seasonal item on hand." Some of her classics include strawberry frosted or blueberry lavender pop-tarts, but one seasonal specialty has special meaning to her.

Layshock decided to start making mooncakes because she grew up eating them for the holidays. Their round shape symbolizes reunion. She remembers when she was a child, her family would travel to LA or San Francisco to get them. The mooncakes she brought home always fell processed, dense and heavy.

"I wanted to learn to make them for their nostalgia, but to put a contemporary spin on them and offer them fresh."

She started to experiment with replacing part of the flour in the recipe with matcha or cocoa powder, while keeping the standard fillings of mung bean, red bean or nuts. The result was a familiar treat with an edge.

Making mooncakes is a multiday process, she said. And she only offers them twice a year, during Lunar New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.

The process begins with mixing dough and letting it rest. She then rolls filling inside the dough and shapes the cakes using a mooncake press mold, a process that requires finesse. "You have to feel it to know how much to push down." She bakes the mooncake twice, letting the sweets rest between the two bakes. After the second bake, they're too crisp, so she places them in airtight containers for two days to allow them to soften.

The result is a tender mooncake worth looking forward to twice-a-year.

"I put a lot of heart and thought into what I bake and it's all made to order and a representative of me in one way or another."

How to try the treats from Voyager Bakeshop

Layshock announces her pop ups on Instagram. These events are the best way to sample a variety of her baked goods.

The regular menu of treats can be ordered via the Voyager Bakeshop website for delivery within metro Phoenix for a fee.

Although the website requires custom orders be placed at least 72 hours in advance, she encourages customers to place them earlier, as soon as they know their event's date, to ensure there's enough time to make the special order.

Details: voyagerbakeshop.com.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Voyager Bakeshop in Phoenix serves modern macarons and mooncakes