A beloved dessert from the islands of Hawaii has become part of the downtown dessert scene. Island Mochi, run by ASU junior Brendan Wong, is rapidly making its mark here in Phoenix.
Mochi is a sweet snack and dessert that is glutinous, chewy, and sweet with Japanese and Hawaiian influences that is like gummy candy, a marshmallow, and a chewy cake all in one.
Brendan Wong is a nursing major at the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus and is originally from Oahu, Hawaii. He said Island Mochi is based out of his downtown apartment, where all of his mochi is baked to perfection and packaged fresh.
“Island Mochi was founded off of my love for mochi. This past summer I really enjoyed baking mochi, which started because I really enjoy mochi myself and was tired of going out and buying it,” Wong said.
Wong first began specializing in his favorite, Chichi Dango, which he describes as a Japanese type of mochi that is softer than others. Once Wong perfected his recipe, his loved ones inspired him to start selling it.
He started asking friends if they would be willing to buy any, and from there, he began to sell his Chichi Dango – his personal favorite – and other flavor options like Hawaiian butter, chocolate and pumpkin spice.
“I started making peanut butter mochi, with peanut butter filling inside. I made a fresh coconut mochi, with the coconut inside, as well as Hawaiian butter mochi,” he said.
Hawaiian Butter Mochi is what Island Mochi specializes in. Being from Hawaii where Mochi is extremely popular, he noticed that there was a lack of mochi in Arizona. He said Island Mochi was a big hit in Hawaii and within his culture, and he wanted to bring that goodness to his new home in Phoenix.
“Ultimately, I love the joy mochi brings to others,” he said.
As Wong began to see success with his business mainly on social media, he wanted to find more ways to expand his brand in downtown Phoenix and became a bestselling favorite at the local farmer’s market in downtown Phoenix.
A fan of the Downtown Phoenix Farmers Market himself, which is only blocks from his apartment where the mochi magic happens, Wong figured the market would be the perfect place.
He bakes three to four pans of fresh mochi on Friday nights to sell at the markets every Saturday.
On Saturdays when Island Mochi is not at the downtown Phoenix Farmers Market, Island Mochi is sometimes at the Uptown Farmers Market in the North Phoenix Baptist Church parking lot. Island Mochi typically sticks around at the markets for only 3 hours where they quickly sell out of product.
One of Wong’s favorite things about selling Island Mochi at the farmers markets is seeing recurring customers.
“(Customers) try a sample one weekend and they’ll come back the next weekend and say ‘oh that mochi was so good!’ and buy some. It has been really great to see that,” he said.
Wong’s business has grown bigger than the thought, believing he would only be able to sell the chewy dessert to college students. He quickly realized that college students were not his only target customers.
Island Mochi has also partnered with Phoenix To Door, which delivers mochi to customers around Phoenix.
“For myself, I am looking to branch out and make many new different types of mochi flavors in the future to share with others,” he said. “I am really looking forward to the future and I am excited for what’s to come.”
Contact the reporter at ipfredri@asu.edu.
