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Edible Art Ooyoo Pan fuses the heritage of its founders into Korean-inspired macarons BY KATHERINE STINSON
t Nari Hodges and Aldo Cortes’ Ooyoo Pan pop-up, macarons are transformed into Animal Crossing characters, heroes from Avatar: The Last Airbender and anime-style cartoon bears. “Seeing our customers light up when they recognize their favorite character or when they see something cute in our display case inspires us to keep going,” says Hodges, who spent her childhood moving between Texas and Korea. Hodges returned to San Antonio for good as a young adult to pursue a degree in 3D animation and game design at University of the Incarnate Word. She’d long wanted to open her own Korean café, and after meeting Cortes, a Texas A&M University student and fellow home baker, in 2019, her dream came to fruition with Ooyoo Pan. “We sought to share with one another all the treats from our childhood that brought us joy,” Hodges says. “We fused together all of the unique flavors and ideas into our business.” The name Ooyoo Pan comes from the Korean word for milk and the Spanish word for bread,
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which is a nod to Cortes’ Mexican heritage. Their cookies include flavors drawn from both cultures, such as red bean, black sesame, chocolate caliente and matcha guava. Korean-style macarons are made through the same painstaking process that traditional macarons call for with one big exception: the filling is much thicker. Hodges compares it to ice cream as it’s served cold and says while it can look intimidating, it’s not overly sweet. Before any macaron is created, Hodges and Cortes sketch out what they want the treat to look like. After the base macaron is finished, they pipe on the decorations, waiting for each layer to dry before adding the next detail, whether lips on their red bean fish macaron or whiskers on their matcha teddy bear. Once complete, each macaron matures in the fridge for 24 hours, which the duo says enhances the flavor. “We’ve made almost 2,000 macarons, but it’s still the most challenging treat to make,” Hodges says. “The most important factor is a good attitude. I’m not exaggerating when I say (the macarons) know when you’re having a bad day.” In the future, the pair hopes to expand into a storefront that also sells coffee, fruit milks and more. For now, they’re focused on pop-ups throughout San Antonio, from Hemisfair to St. Paul Square and Tripoli’s Mediterranean Grill. Follow them on Instagram @ooyoopan for details on where to find them this month.
Naco Mexican Eatery opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant at Los Patios in December. / A second location of Guillermo’s opened on Austin Street near Pearl at the end of the year. It boasts a similar menu of pizza, sandwiches and pasta but has more outdoor seating than the original location. / Oregon-based Dutch Bros. Coffee debuted its third San Antonio location near West Avenue and Loop 410. / Caterer and former food truck Box Street Social opened its long awaited restaurant, Box Street All Day, at Hemisfair in December. / Künstler Brewing will expand to Hemisfair this summer with a second location that will serve brats, small bites and beer. / Gather Brewing Co. opened in Universal City. / Chef Michael Sohocki closed Restaurant Gwendolyn and Kimura Ramen downtown and will open a new concept that he describes as more relaxed than the multi-course fine dining menu that Gwendolyn was known for. / Rudy Ramirez opened a keto-friendly bakery and pizza eatery near Beacon Hill, Shake and Bake, in honor of his late wife, Norma Anabel Gonzalez-Ramirez. / After closing during the early months of the pandemic, SoHill Cafe reopened in December. / Nicola Blaque, owner of The Jerk Shack and Mi Roti, was named Chef of the Year by the Female Executives of Texas.
COURTESY OOYOO PAN
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
12/10/21 11:00 AM
