Meet Alison Kuo | Pastry Chef & Business Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Alison Kuo and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Alison, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started doing a lot of research when I decided to start my own business. From business strategies to marketing, and to accounting. Topics that weren’t so familiar to me. But I knew I had to learn more in order to start and run a successful business.

I also took references from some of my favorite brands, such as IN-N OUT and Apple. I love how IN-N-OUT only provides a small menu despite how other fast food restaurants have expanded their menu. This way the customers already know what to order before lining up, which cuts down wait time for each customer, and minimizes the variety of products the kitchen needs to order so no ingredients go to waste.
Apple was one of the first companies to combine technology with aesthetics. Not many technology business owners cared enough for their products to look beautiful except Steve Jobs. He understood the importance of creating a functional and aesthetically pleasing product more than 40 years ago.

This is exceptionally important now when most of our customers learn about new brands on social media, such as Instagram that relies heavily on beautiful photos.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My style of pastries has always been classic with a modern twist; simple but not easy. I was professionally trained with French techniques and the pastries I used to make were delicate and intricate. Every pastry has at least 4-5 different layers of creameux, biscuit, glaze, crumbs, or mousse. They were delicious but too complex for me. I prefer simpler pastries with minimal ingredients. And that’s how I create flavors for butter cookies at SALT.

Our butter cookies are made with top quality ingredients only with no artificial coloring or flavoring. We believe good food shines within its original self. It’s simple, but never easy.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
The Great White on Melrose is my new favorite cafe to hang and start my day. The aesthetic is amazing and their drinks are unique and delicious. Ideally I’d sit there all morning with a cup of oat milk flat white paired with a banana bread and just enjoy the peacefulness. Then I’ll walk around Melrose and browse around the eccentric boutiques.

The Getty Villa is a must go when my friends visit me in LA. To see the collection of arts and sculptures that were carefully selected and walk around the fountain and garden outdoors is a perfect way to spend the evening.

As for dinner I strongly recommend Nong Lá Cafe on La Brea where they serve authentic Vietnamese food

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’d like to give a big shout out to my mother. The woman who allows me to be myself and chase my dreams.

Being Asian it is common for our parents to interfere with our life choices: what school to attend, what career to choose, and even who to date. But not my mother. My mother has never given restrictions on what to participate in my entire life. She encouraged me to go to pastry school when I used to bake instead of preparing for the SAT in my senior year of high school and she inspired me to start my own business because she said “if not now, when?”.

I appreciate her showing me “the sky’s the limit”.

Website: saltbuttercookie.com

Instagram: @saltbuttercookie