Ceremony

A little something we’ve been working on with Alice Chocolate.

Brainstorming, quite literally.

Friday. ⚡️

中秋快乐 🥮🤍

I was thinking this morning about how surprised I am that we basically sold through our mooncakes before Mid-Autumn even got here.

We actually bought more this year than we ever have before. More in quantity, but also a much bigger selection. Traditional ones, modern flavors, different styles, things I wasn’t even sure everyone would be familiar with.

And now we’re down to just a handful at Brook. This has me feeling extra grateful today 🫶.

When I first started Ceremony, I spent a lot of time answering questions like “what’s matcha?” and explaining why certain teas tasted the way they did.

Now people come in and ask me what cultivar our daily matcha is, where it was grown, how it was processed, what farm it came from 😂

That still kind of blows my mind.

There are so many things I grew up around, or discovered through traveling and sourcing, that felt really specific to me. Mooncakes are one of those things. So seeing people from completely different backgrounds be curious about them, try them, come back for them, ask questions about them… it makes me realize how much this little community has grown with us.

And honestly, it does feel like this community is a little family of its own at this point. I’m proud of that. And proud of how far we’ve come.

But I also feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface of what I want to share with you all.

Maybe this winter I’ll bring you a little closer to where some of it begins 👀🍵✈️

More on that later.

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival 🤍

Mid-Autumn Festival is this Friday, September 25. 🥮

In Chinese culture, it’s a holiday centered on reunion—families gathering beneath the full moon and thinking of the people who may be far away.

Many years ago, during a visit to China, my grandmother told me that whenever she missed me, she would look up at the moon and take comfort in knowing we were both beneath the same one. This was before Zoom, when hearing each other’s voices meant an expensive long-distance call. She is no longer here, but every Mid-Autumn Festival, I look up at the moon and think of her. 🌙

Mooncakes are part of that ritual. Their round shape represents wholeness and togetherness. Traditionally, they’re cut into small wedges, passed around the table and enjoyed with tea—not so much a dessert for one, but something that gives everyone a reason to gather.

That memory is part of why bringing mooncakes into Ceremony feels especially meaningful to me. This year, we have everything from traditional red bean, lotus paste and jujube to oolong, jasmine and lychee, along with Jiangsu-style flaky pastries and the yolk-filled King Pastry.

You can still find a selection at both Brook Street and South Main—for anyone celebrating, missing home or simply curious to begin a new tradition. Available while supplies last.

We’ll also be celebrating at Newport Mansions’ Moon Festival this Saturday, September 26. If you’re nearby, come celebrate with us there. 🌙

中秋快乐 🤍

This one started with mooncakes.

When I first introduced mooncakes to my husband, his biggest takeaway was the little salted egg yolk in the middle: sweet, salty, rich, slightly savory.

This year I started looking more closely at how different mooncake fillings are made, how that richness gets balanced with sweetness, and how the yolk works with the rest of the pastry. That became the starting point for this drink.

I wanted to take that same idea and translate it into a latte without making it feel heavy or overly sweet.

Our Salted Yolk Latte is available with matcha or houjicha, and somehow I still can’t decide which one I like more.

You tell me: matcha or houjicha?