Breaking bread through cultural exchange. Some local Asian American café owners say they’ve seen more people embracing authentically familiar flavors they’ve grown up with.

At BouNom Café and Bakery in Avon, owner Khamla Vorasane brings out French pastries, which are made with a twist.

“It has a little bit of that French Asian infusion, where you get that classic French pastry, but sometimes we’ll throw in a bit of Asian influence on our pastries,” she said.

An influence Vorasane says comes from her Laotian background.

“We’ll do maybe a crossover between a red bean croissant or a mochi brownie instead of your classic brownie, which is made from tapioca and rice flour with black sesame,” she said.

At Cha Papi Tea and Sweets in West Hartford, glazed mochi donuts and infused tea drinks have been a hit with customers.

“People have been loving it. People have been excited for ube and matcha, and it’s just … people love it,” Shirley Wong, owner at Cha Papi Tea and Sweets, said.

She and co-owner Brian Keo say it’s refreshing to see the community embrace their offerings, especially their cherry blossom infused drinks.

“It’s probably been one of our most successful special drink lineups that we’ve made so far,” Keo said.

That’s in contrast to their experiences in elementary school.

Owners of both cafes say they remember the food they grew up with was made fun of by classmates during lunch.

“When I pulled out my lunch, they were making gagging sounds and I remember going home crying to my mom, saying like, ‘Don’t ever make me lunch again,’” Vorasane said.

“My mom would pack noodles that smelled like sesame oil or soy sauce, and my friends would be like. … ‘Bro, what’s that? You want my pizza bagel instead?’” Keo said.

But fast-forward to 2024.

“It’s insane how our culture food-wise has kind of gotten into the mainstream kind of food market,” Vorasane said.

She credits social media for helping palates evolve across Connecticut.

“Kids, 7 or 8 and not necessarily Asian, know what a bibimbap is. Know what like fish sauce is. Know what sticky rice versus white rice is, which is insane,” Vorasane said.

Yale lecturer Quan Tran said the rise of foodie culture has created more exposure to flavors unfamiliar to the typical Western palate. She says it could create a sense of inclusion while also excluding the people behind the cuisine.

“So, food becomes a kind of cultural currency and capital that people who are non-Asian can profess expertise over in order to become, you know, somewhat cosmopolitan,” she said.

Vorasane says she’s not afraid to introduce new flavors at BouNom to the evolving taste buds of their communities.

“Asian food in general has become mainstream food now. It’s no longer seen as ethnic or exotic. It’s the mainstream,” she said.

Keo and Wong say they plan on rolling out drinks at Cha Papi made with yuzu, an East Asian citrus fruit, and continue to experiment with different Asian flavors.

“It’s really cool to bring flavors that we grew up with or travel to go and find these flavors elsewhere outside of Connecticut,” Keo said.

But there could be some limits.

“We might stop the ball at durian, but who knows? Who knows?” he said.

Durian is a fruit famous for its pungent smell.