During Tarmily Wen and Pinyada Wattanadamrongcharte’s wedding, the couple made baked goods to share with guests. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive and an idea began to form — what if this could be a business?

The pair created a logo and began selling their homemade desserts, including at a restaurant where Wattanadamrongcharte worked. Expansion to more products, pop–ups, and partnerships with local eateries, including Grandma’s Philly and Ratchada Thai & Laos Cuisine, soon followed. Yet, Wen and Wattanadamrongcharte never had a physical location — until now.

Ka–Nom Nom, a Thai bakery, had its grand opening on Nov. 15 at the Market at the Fareway in Chestnut Hill. Wen said the opportunity to open a storefront was too good to pass up.

“We saw this place was available through our friends and we were like, ‘This is perfect,’” Wen told the Local. “We were looking for the next step.”

Light and airy

Ka-Nom Nom is a way for Wen and Wattanadamrongcharte to celebrate their Asian heritage, down to the name of the bakery. “Ka–Nom” means “dessert” in Thai. Wen, who has always lived in Philadelphia, is Chinese, while Wattanadamrongcharte is from Bangkok, Thailand. The couple currently lives in East Falls.

“Because I live in the U.S., I miss Thai food,” Wattanadamrongcharte said. “Not everyone can understand [Thai desserts]. So, the idea is to try to bring some Thai culture and twist it so it’s easier for people here to understand and eat.”

According to the bakery’s website, the recipes “are a loving fusion of traditional Thai flavors and modern American baking techniques.” Wen said there are several key differences between American desserts and those from Thailand.

“A lot of cakes here are heavy and really sweet, and they don’t emphasize a lot of fruit flavors. I think a lot of times it’s an imitation of fruit flavor,” Wen said. “[Our desserts are] really light and airy. When I eat dessert and it’s heavy after a meal, I don’t want to eat that much. But we want to make it light so it’s a nice way to top off a meal, but not too sweet, while still packed with flavors.”

Currently, Ka–Nom Nom serves a variety of full– and personal–sized cakes in flavors such as coconut, honey mango, Thai tea, and matcha strawberry. There are also lava buns available in black sesame, ube, chocolate, coffee, matcha, pandan, and Thai tea flavors.

“Lava buns are soft, sweet buns,” Wen explained. “Think of it like a King’s Hawaiian or Japanese milk bread, and it’s filled to the center with a cream.”

Also available are vegan options including a tofu dark chocolate raspberry mousse and mango sticky rice, as well as two drinks — Thai milk tea and a honey lemon Thai tea refresher. Wen and Wattanadamrongcharte have plans to expand their offerings, possibly exploring additional lava bun flavors, savory options, and boba tea.

A bright future

Wen said they were drawn to the Market at the Fareway as an excellent first location because of building maintenance logistics that the duo won’t have to manage. Wen also appreciated the atmosphere of the indoor market.

“It’s kind of like a different version of Reading Terminal Market, but with a more homey feeling,” Wen said. “It seems like a more tight–knit community, so that’s why I really like it.”

During the grand opening on Nov. 15, Wattanadamrongcharte was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support.

“We really appreciate that people gave us a warm welcome and like our desserts,” Wattanadamrongcharte said. “We didn’t expect that many people to come and support us so much. I felt really happy.”

Wen and Wattanadamrongcharte are committed to the success of Ka–Nom Nom, constantly making minor changes to expedite their workflow and eliminate mistakes. The duo hopes that these improvements will pay off in more business at the Market at the Fareway and potentially even more locations in the future. But, for now, they are focused.

“I have this 10–year timeline in mind where I would like to open up multiple locations around Philly and expand into the surrounding area at some point,” Wen said. “Let’s just see how this one goes first, but I would love to do that.”

Learn more at kanomnom.com.

Maggie Dougherty can be reached at Margaret@chestnuthilllocal.com.