meet NOONA
This is not your average American story.
I want to start with the word, noona. Noona is a Korean word meaning big sister. From all the roles I have in life, I gotta say I love being a sister. I have brothers, both younger and older, and they continue to shape the woman I am today. For me, a good noona feeds you good food. At Noona’s, I feed people some damn good ice cream with vision behind it.
I’m a pastry chef and fascinated with ice cream.There’s something magical about making ice cream and creating flavors. I believe they’re made with others in mind and wanting to share the good bits.
The birth of Noona's came from the void of life’s uncertainties, feelings of not belonging, being different… But the void is the perfect place from which to create and what came from it was the passion to put vision into movement and change. In 2014, I found myself at a crossroads, trying to figure out my professional love and career path. I was working in operations management for a small family-owned company and found myself immersed among entrepreneurial spirits. On my spare time, I’d make ice cream and share it with neighbors and friends. The small gesture of sharing ice cream created significant moments in time, sparking joy and indelible connections that continue to inspire me to this day.
In 2016, Noona’s was born out of a need for a diverse ice cream selection at food stores. It was impossible to find Asian ice cream flavors unless it was at an Asian grocer. I wanted to see flavors that represented my Asian-American background in the mainstream and knew that I could use my skills to be the one to create that space in the marketplace. So, I started making my own ice cream and flavors. I also wanted to see quality and more real whole ingredients (not just flavorings) in ice cream, so I made it a focus to learn and seek more knowledge on ingredient sourcing and building relationships with farmers.
Noona’s is unique from the inside out with our clear purposeful identity. Noona’s is here to reflect the faces, flavors and culture of America now and tomorrow while honoring our roots. When you spot a pint of Noona’s, it’s clear how joyful and proud we are of our Asian American identity and how much we want to share that joy and deliciousness with all of you. In the summer of 2016, I launched Noona’s at Hester St Fair on the LES (Lower East Side of Manhattan) on the day of the annual ice cream contest, and won best ice cream flavor for our Toasted Rice ice cream. It’s 2023 and our Toasted Rice ice cream is still a top seller along with an entire line of Asian American flavors and dairy-free options. The bottom line is our neighborhood grocery stores need to be better and do better with bigger and more inclusive ice cream selections!
At Noona’s, we’re committed to making all our sweet treats in a way that creates a space for people of color and reforms our food culture. The unique story of where an ingredient or flavor comes from is compelling and should be honored.
All our recipes are connected to an emotion and memory that hold significance and inspires me so much that I can taste it, envision it in ice cream form. If I can’t taste it in my mind before I make it, it will never be a Noona’s flavor. At the same time, some of our flavors are based on Asian classics and as simple as wanting to honor those tried and true traditions. I love my grandma (the OG noona), what more is there to say. Try some Noona’s. Go see for yourself.
- Hannah Bae
aka your ice cream noona