Chef Judy
Chef Judy built her career around cake.
After earning her culinary degree in pastry arts in NYC, she worked as the pastry chef at the school's fine-dining restaurant, L'Ecole, and later became a pastry instructor. In 2006 she opened Silk Cakes, her own cake shop known for Asian-inspired flavor combinations.
After more than a decade in business, the pandemic forced Judy to close her shop. She felt lost, unsure what would come next.
Soon after, she was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune condition that led her to start eating gluten-free. She remembers the first time she turned down dessert, and how lonely it felt to be the only one without cake.
Then one day in the cake mix aisle, she noticed gluten-free Asian-inspired cake mixes were missing. So, with her pastry chef background and expertise in Asian baking, she spent two years developing the recipes and created Roots in Rice — a line of gluten-free Asian-inspired cake mixes with authentic Asian flavors, a pillowy-soft texture, and not too sweet.
Gluten-free shouldn't mean a separate cake. It should be the cake everyone wants.
That's the heart of Roots in Rice: we believe people who are gluten-free belong at the table.
The significance behind the logo
A Tribute to My Dad
Chef Judy's dad is originally from Shunde District. 順德, Guangdong Province of China - aka the Birthplace of Cantonese cuisine. He immigrated to NYC Chinatown in the hopes of finding a better life and found work as a chef at a Chinese restaurant. Judy remembers her dad working very long hours, six days a week and coming home late at night with one day off.
Even on that day, he cooked for his family. He made the Cantonese dishes that Judy remembers most - frog legs to her favorite, sweet and sour chicken. His life was not easy but he carried it quietly and never complained. For the company logo, Judy chose the Chinese character of her last name ‘Lai’ - as a tribute to her dad - for being a great father and her culinary inspiration.
