Jennifer L Ban is the founder and creator of Rice Blossoms, who takes a modern and luxurious approach to craft traditional Korean desserts.

Can you give a little history of your background and how this all came to fruition?

I was initially an interior designer. I worked for an architecture firm doing design teamwork for about seven years. However, once I became a mom, I found the transition back to work very difficult, and eventually I chose to take a break from working. 

During my break, I was able to visit my family in Korea and spend some time with my daughter. I had been itching to do something artistic and use my hands as I’ve always done as a designer. And around that time, flower-piping and making traditional Korean rice cakes with a modern touch were becoming trendy, so I signed up for some classes. On a more nostalgic note, I also grew up eating a lot of rice cakes. My mom would bring some home every time we went to the market, which would be my afternoon snack. And because I lost touch with that little tradition during my twenties, now as a mother, I wanted my child to have that same experience.

When I signed up for these classes, I wasn’t thinking about making it into something bigger, nor that it would leave such a big impression on me. But to my surprise, I fell in love with the simplicity and beauty of the process. It was simple in the sense that rice cakes are clean and healthy, and making them is fairly easy. But I soon realized that making beautiful rice cakes was not simple. 

After taking a few classes, I started making them at home for my daughter, and when I returned to Los Angeles, my husband’s friends asked if I’d make them rice cakes for their kids’ birthday parties. Then event planners began to see what I was doing and requested rice cakes for various events. Eventually people wanted me to teach them how to make rice cakes, so I started offering small workshops. The business grew organically like that. Fast forward five years, I am currently residing in the East Coast growing my team, in LA, Hawaii and NY.

How has it been starting your own business? Has it been challenging, or has it felt like something that happened entirely organically?

Our growth has been mostly organic thanks to the constant support of friends and family. But it has definitely been challenging since I don’t have a business background. I’m a designer who likes to create things and make people happy. So there is a lot to learn, and I’m still learning. And in that, I still make mistakes, but I’m working hard and trying every day! 

How do you feel your background in interior design has influenced your work?

I’ve always been a person that loves beautiful spaces and design. It comes in handy when I get into rice cake decoration because I have control over everything from the color scheme, to the proportions, and the floral arrangements. It’s all part of the design process. At first, arranging and rearranging was a lot of trial and error. We would revise the same cake arrangement multiple times. But having a natural eye for design has really helped in this aspect. 

Did event planners discover you for making rice cakes, or were you making other Korean desserts?

The first thing that caught their eye was when I was piping flowers on top of the rice cakes. Traditionally, rice cakes are just a plain white square. Rice Blossoms elevates the traditional rice cake by making them in a chic cupcake form and are decorated with flowers made of white bean paste. For color palettes we use muted, pastel tones – a sophisticated color scheme. Our desserts are very modern and aesthetically pleasing, while still having the traditional aspect. 

Initially, I only had the rice cupcake and the larger cake version. Then I thought to myself, “What would work well at events?” So, I created bite sizes and other small rice cake desserts. They’re easier for people to eat, even more so than a cupcake. This allowed for more flexible party favor options and that was a big moment. 

Do all of the desserts you make come from traditional recipes?

Yes, at the core, all of our desserts come from traditional recipes. Rice cake (baek-sul-gi), song-pyeons, da-shik (black sesame tea cookie), yang-gaeng (bean paste jelly), bean paste cookies, all come from traditional recipes but we added our own twist to make them our own. We pride ourselves on beautiful, almost-too-pretty-to-eat desserts while still maintaining the integrity of Korean traditions. For example, song-pyeons are steamed rice cakes with a sweet, nutty filling that Koreans typically eat during Chuseok, otherwise known as the Korean mid-autumn harvest festival. Traditionally, the shape is similar to a half moon shape, and only comes in a few colors. We make our song-pyeons also with a sweet, sesame filling, in various modern shapes and colors, like apple, peach, pumpkin, and more. 

I imagine that designing and creating these desserts must impact you and your family at home, given that you’re always around them!

Oh yes, firstly, we eat them so often! And secondly, as much as my daughters love eating them, they love making them too! They’re always asking to “make rice blossoms” (meaning song-pyeons) and love making their own shapes and desserts. It’s become a great family activity. 

Is there any significance to the flowers you choose to put on your cakes?

It mostly depends on the client’s request and the event’s color scheme. But usually I try to pipe flowers that people are familiar with. For example, we have roses, carnations, peonies, ranunculuses, hydrangea and apple blossoms, or some smaller filler flowers like daisies and mums. For the most part, we have a standard design, and we create variations based on the color palette and client’s preferences.

Did you need to study the flowers when you first started piping?

I used to have flower magazines and books that I referenced and tried to mimic. Of course, using piping tools, they aren’t going to look exactly like real flowers, so some are more exaggerated. But yes, I would go to flower shops and buy bundles of flowers to observe their details closely.

Now, we use our signature styles unless there is a special request. I train my team to pipe the flowers to have them look exactly as I like.

Why might Korean desserts be hard to come by?

The reason for not seeing a lot of Korean desserts is most likely because they are sensitive and high maintenance, meaning they can spoil quickly. The shelf life is only twelve hours at room temperature. That’s why they can be hard to sell from a business perspective. The good thing is that this means the rice cakes are healthy and fresh, you know? Because of the short shelf life, you know that every time you eat a rice cake, you’re consuming fresh ingredients.

That’s fantastic! They’re also naturally gluten-free and vegan, yes?

Yes! They don’t require any recipe changes to make them gluten-free and vegan. It’s the traditional recipe.

How long does it take to make a rice cake?

I can pipe one rose in about ten seconds – a lot less than it used to take! All the flowers for one order are piped and frozen earlier in the same week. But our rice cakes have to be made fresh the day-of, and in total it’s about ten minutes of prep time, thirty minutes of steaming time, and fifteen to thirty minutes of arranging the flowers. But it’s only so fast because I’ve been doing this for about six years now!

In your workshops, how long does it take for a novice to pipe a flower?

I’d say, on average, about five minutes. Ten, if they keep re-doing it because they aren’t happy with the outcome. But practice does make perfect!

Are you holding workshops frequently? Or are they for special events like the launch of your book?

In LA, workshops happen several times a month as we started pivoting to focus on holding workshops only so people can experience and gain more from the classes.

In New York, the past year we’ve been busy catering to many different events, but we plan to come in stronger with workshops and offer more of them in 2023! 

Are you still going to be catering?

In New York, Rice Blossoms offers everything – events, workshops, orders, and pop-ups. In LA, we’ll be switching to holding workshops only because we’ve been around there for a while now. We want to step away from catering and really highlight what we can offer as far as education!

Is that why you launched your cookbook?

Well, I prefer to call it a coffee table book. It contains many beautiful photos, histories and recipes of desserts, traditional birthday set ups with a modern touch, and so much more. I created the book because I want people to learn about rice cakes in a different medium. Not to mention, the creation of the book has been highly collaborative. Nancy from So Happi Together, photographer Sally Pinera, graphic designer Soo Young, Christine, Marie, and the Rice Blossoms team helped and worked hard to make it all happen.

What is the mission of Rice Blossoms?

Rice Blossoms’s mission is to spread Korean desserts and educate people simultaneously. Korea and Korean culture is trendy now with all the K-Pop, K-Beauty, K-Cinema, and K-food. However, Korean desserts are barely getting any attention. I want to share more about Korean desserts so people can learn about the culture, richness and health benefits of the snacks and desserts. 

Do you have any advice for future bakers or entrepreneurial-minded young artists?

The main advice I have to share is to believe in yourself. What I always say is, do it. Do it regardless of what everyone says around you. If you keep trying, one day it will happen, or you’ll figure it out. Just keep trying!

Jennifer L Ban

@RICE_BLOSSOMS
RICEBLOSSOMS.com