Meet Alison Kuo

Today we’d like to introduce you to Alison Kuo. 

Hi Alison, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I was professionally trained at Le Cordon Bleu and worked at several restaurants such as Bottega Louie, Providence, and Laduree. After years of training, I realized that I wanted to combine my knowledge in French pastries with my Asian background to create something of my own. And butter cookie popped into my head right away because in Taiwan we celebrate weddings, baby showers, and all kinds of celebrations with a box of goodies and my favorite was always the butter cookies. 

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I think our biggest challenge so far is not being able to promote our vision as much as we’d like to. Being an e-commerce business, sometimes it is difficult to preach our beliefs through our website. So, we cherish any opportunities we have at pop-up events to meet our customers face-to-face and engage a real conversation. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
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 holiday flavor: Noël is a perfect example. When I was creating the recipe for Noël, I knew I wanted to pack the entire Christmas in a piece of cookie. To do so I studied many holiday recipes: gingerbread, mulled wine, stollen…etc in order to find the perfect flavor. At last, I was able to create an exquisite blend of spices with a hint of orange zest that resembles my ideal Christmas. All the spices came together in perfect harmony with our signature buttery, crumbly texture. 

That was one of my proudest moment. Because no one will spend that much time and effort on a cookie like the way I did. And I’m proud to create something no one else would. 

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out.
A piece of advice I’d like to share with someone who are starting out is: there are no shortcuts. 

I was scared of starting my own business when I was young and spent a long time waiting for a guidance and searching for shortcuts. While doing researches and being careful are great, it is also important to know that the best way to start a business is actually “doing it”. 

Stepping out of your comfort zone and start your business is terrifying but also thrilling. So, stop hesitating and just go for it. 

You never know what’s waiting ahead. 

Contact Info:

• Website: saltbuttercookie.com
• Instagram: @saltbuttercookie