Chef Judy
Growing up in NYC’s Chinatown, I was surrounded by one of the most vibrant food scenes in the world. I had a major sweet tooth and loved to experiment with the Asian flavors I grew up eating. That curiosity quickly turned into a passion, and I went on to earn a culinary degree in pastry arts. Upon graduation, I worked as the pastry chef at the school’s fine-dining restaurant, L’Ecole, and was later invited to join the faculty as a pastry instructor.
Not long after, I started my own cake shop, Silk Cakes, in 2006—known for its unique Asian-inspired cake flavor combinations. After more than a decade in business, the pandemic forced me to make the difficult decision to close in 2020.
After closing my business, I felt lost and unsure what was next for me.
One day, on a simple grocery run, I was walking down the cake mix aisle and noticed something was missing: Asian flavors. That’s when Roots in Rice was born—a line of Asian-inspired cake mixes. Roots in Rice became my creative outlet—my chance to showcase food from my own experience as an Asian American. It also gave me a second chance to pursue my passion.
The significance behind the logo
A Tribute to My Dad
My 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. I remembered my dad worked very long hours, he worked 6 days a week and would come home late into the evening with 1 day off.
Even on his day off, he would cook for his family. He made the best Cantonese food, from frog legs to my favorite, sweet and sour chicken. Even though his life was hard, he struggled in silence as he never once complained. For the company logo, I chose the Chinese character of my last name ‘Lai’ - as a tribute to my dad - for being a great father and my culinary inspiration.
