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Japanese soufflé pancake gaining popularity in US, yet origin story begins in Hawaii 15 years ago

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2 years ago

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Japanese soufflé pancake gaining popularity in US, yet origin story begins in Hawaii 15 years ago

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As the Japanese soufflé pancake has grown in popularity amid the recent U.S. expansion of a Canadian-headquartered dessert café, its origin can be traced to a Hawaiian restaurant and its pancake-averse chef.

Nathan Tran is proprietor and general manager of the Cream Pot, a popular breakfast and brunch spot for Japanese tourists and Hawaiian residents in the Waikiki neighborhood on the south shore of Honolulu.

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There, Chef Tran routinely prepares his signature dish – the one that brought him internet fame and made the Cream Pot a destination. But it wasn’t always like that, Tran told Fox News Digital in a Zoom interview with his restaurant as a backdrop.

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Tran’s intent, when he first opened the Cream Pot in 2008, was to serve up a brunch menu of sweet entrées such as crêpes and “pain perdu” (French-style French toast) and other savory dishes. Absent from the menu, however, were pancakes.

“We never had pancakes on the menu because we didn’t want to make anything that we didn’t like eating ourselves,” Tran said. “I wasn’t too fond of typical pancakes … They were just not for me.”

A Japanese soufflé pancake is pictured. Nathan Tran, who opened the Cream Pot restaurant in Hawaii in 2008, discussed with Fox News Digital how he created the concept of the Japanese soufflé pancake. (iStock)

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But within the first six months of business, it became apparent there was an interest in pancakes, especially among Japanese customers, Tran said.

When customers learned it was the only typical breakfast dish missing from the menu, “they would do a 180 [degree] U-turn and go away,” Tran recalled.

“We do it the classic way in terms of the ingredients.”

Unwilling to “sell out” and give in to making pancakes, Tran, who is of Japanese descent, decided to combine his love of soufflés and his interest in sweets into a dish that would appeal to both his sensibilities and the pancake crowd.

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“I thought a great idea would be to do a freestanding souffle with a twist so it kind of resembles the looks of a pancake,” Tran said. 

Cream Pot owner and chef Nathan Tran is shown at his restaurant in Hawaii while speaking to Fox News Digital via Zoom video.  (Fox News Digital)

“A pancake is essentially a quick bread, but a classic souffle doesn’t really have any flour in it. So, we do it the classic way in terms of the ingredients.”

And with that, the soufflé pancake was born.

Birth of a breakfast soufflé

Tran shared with Fox News Digital how he makes the soufflé pancake at his restaurant. 

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“There’s no flour in ours,” Tran said. “It gets its rise from meringue and some custards and creams and cheeses.”

It’s also gluten-free, Tran revealed, “but we don’t advertise it that way.”

Cream Pot owner and chef Nathan Tran says he created the Japanese soufflé pancake because he’s always liked sweets and didn’t particularly care for pancakes, although his customers did. At right, one of his creations.  (Fox News Digital/Nathan Tran)

“With ours, we make some custards that we blend in with some cheeses,” Tran said. 

“And then with the meringue, we mix it, blend it and we fold it, and then we’ll put it onto a skillet or a flat iron. And we’ll sear it on both sides first to get its shape, and then we’ll bake it. And then we bake it to a certain point where the inside’s just cooked but still soft and custardy like an actual soufflé.”

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Each soufflé pancake is about 70% baked, Tran said.

“We leave it and then right before we serve it, we’ll bake it again to get the maximum rise on it,” he said. “They’ll deflate if you leave them sitting too long.”

The soufflé pancake that he makes, said Tran (not pictured), gets its rise “from meringue and some custards and creams and cheeses.” (iStock)

‘Just advertising on a chalkboard’

In the beginning, Tran said, “we were just advertising on a chalkboard. And slowly people started ordering them.”

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As Tran explained it, his creation soon caught the attention of a Japanese magazine profiling breakfast places in Hawaii. From then on, Tran said, the international and national media took notice of this “really interesting-looking item because it was nice and thick and fluffy and soft-looking.”

Eventually, Tran was approached by Japanese companies looking to partner or franchise with him.

“A pancake is essentially a quick bread, but a classic soufflé doesn’t really have any flour in it,” said Tran. “So, we do it the classic way in terms of the ingredients.” (iStock)

“I just wanted to keep it boutique and keep it small,” Tran said. “I didn’t want to be involved with something like that. I knew it’s just going to go out of control in terms of the quality and stuff like that. So, I just stayed away from it.”

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There was also plenty of interest from others looking to replicate the soufflé pancake, Tran said.

“A lot of people started coming and trying to study the product,” he said. “It was funny.”

Soufflé pancake goes mainstream

Almost a decade after Tran debuted his dish in Hawaii, Benson Lau created his own rendition of the soufflé pancake more than 4,000 miles away in Canada.

Lau founded Fluffy Fluffy – known internationally as Fuwa Fuwa – in 2018, a year after studying pastry in Tokyo. 

Lau said he is self-taught in the art of the soufflé pancake.

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Benson Lau is founder of Fluffy Fluffy, North America’s largest dessert soufflé café, its website claims. “I didn’t learn from anyone,” Lau said.  (Fluffy Fluffy)

“I didn’t learn from anyone,” he told Fox News Digital in a telephone interview.

Two years after the first Fluffy Fluffy opened in Toronto, the business began franchising outside of Canada and eventually expanded into the U.S., becoming North America’s largest dessert soufflé café, according to its website.

The first Fluffy Fluffy in the U.S. opened in Orlando last year and its newest U.S. location in Miami opened last month. Besides Florida, there are also Fluffy Fluffy locations in California, Texas and Georgia.

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Fluffy Fluffy’s version of the soufflé pancake is “fun and authentic,” a sort of balance between the East and the West, Lau said.

“I basically tested the recipes over 1,000 times,” Lau said, to find the right “balancing texture between a pancake and a soufflé.”

Lau said Fluffy Fluffy’s soufflé pancakes are “made with egg whites and very low sugar.” 

Fluffy Fluffy is a dessert soufflé café that offers the classic soufflé pancake and variations such as the tiramisu soufflé pancake. (Fluffy Fluffy)

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He said many Fluffy Fluffy customers come in the middle of the day to “enjoy a bite of happiness.”

There are various menu options, too, including the matcha tiramisù and blueberry cheese soufflé pancakes.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit www.foxnews.com/lifestyle

Back in Hawaii, Tran remains focused on his day-to-day duties at the Cream Pot, aware of the craze surrounding his creation but seemingly unmoved by it all. 

Tran said he doesn’t have any regrets about his decision.

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“I make enough money,” he said. “I’m not trying to become some tycoon or something like that. It’s not my thing.”

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Washington

Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft

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9 minutes ago

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June 23, 2026

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Social media reacts to former BYU star AJ Dybantsa going No. 1 in 2026 NBA draft


Former BYU basketball star AJ Dybantsa fulfilled his dream of going No. 1 overall in the 2026 NBA draft.

The Washington Wizards selected Dybantsa with the first pick.

Immediately after the pick, reactions poured in on social media about the Wizards drafting Dybantsa.

Social media reactions to the Washington Wizards selecting BYU star AJ Dybantsa

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSL and hosts the Cougar Tracks Podcast daily on KSL Sports YouTube and KSL NewsRadio (SUBSCRIBE). Harper also co-hosts Cougar Sports Saturday (12–3 p.m.) on KSL NewsRadio.

Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU athletics in the Big 12 Conference on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram: @Mitch_Harper.

Want more coverage of BYU sports? Take us with you wherever you go.

Download the new and improved KSL Sports app from Utah’s sports leader. Allows you to stream live radio and video, keeping you up to date on all your favorite teams.

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Wyoming

American Rare Earths strengthens board with veteran Wyoming mine builder ahead of planned Nasdaq listing

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24 minutes ago

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June 23, 2026

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American Rare Earths strengthens board with veteran Wyoming mine builder ahead of planned Nasdaq listing


American Rare Earths strengthens board with veteran Wyoming mine builder ahead of planned Nasdaq listing Proactive uses images sourced from Shutterstock

Veteran mine builder Matthew Gili will join American Rare Earths Ltd (ASX:ARR, OTCQX:ARRNF)’s board as a non-executive director as the company advances the Halleck Creek Rare Earths Project in Wyoming and prepares for a planned Nasdaq compliance listing in H2 2026.

Gili is currently president and CEO of Ur-Energy Inc, a NYSE American and TSX-listed Wyoming uranium producer, and brings more than 25 years of mine development and operational experience across major global mining groups including Rio Tinto and Barrick.

His appointment remains subject to completion of Australian regulatory formalities, which American Rare Earths expects to be completed shortly.

Once formally appointed, Gili will join the company’s Technical Committee and contribute to the Definitive Feasibility Study workstream at Halleck Creek, which American Rare Earths describes as the largest known rare earth deposit in the United States on a total rare earth oxide basis.

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Board renewal ahead of US listing plans

The appointment forms part of a broader board renewal process as ARR works toward a Nasdaq compliance dual-listing in H2 2026, while retaining the ASX as its primary listing.

The company is also considering a full US domicile in 2027, subject to a prospective shareholder vote.

CEO Mark Wall said Gili’s operational experience and Wyoming background would strengthen the board as Halleck Creek moves toward construction and production.

“The intended addition of Matt to our Board of Directors further demonstrates our commitment to advancing the largest rare earth element deposit on a total contained rare earths basis in the United States toward construction and operations. Matt brings a tremendous blend of mining technical expertise and Wyoming-specific experience to both the Board and the Technical Committee. His depth of operational knowledge, his relationships in Wyoming, and his proven track record of delivering world-class mining projects, including building the first new copper mine in the United States in a decade, make him exactly the right person to help us get Halleck Creek built.

“As we progress toward our NASDAQ listing later this year, appointments of this calibre send a clear message to U.S. investors about the quality of the team and the seriousness of our intent. Matt’s experience managing ISR uranium operations in Wyoming gives him first-hand knowledge of the hydrometallurgical processing chemistry that will be central to bringing Halleck Creek into production. The parallels between uranium and rare earth processing are substantial and practically meaningful. This is not simply a credential; it is operational expertise that will directly benefit our Technical Committee and Feasibility Study.”

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San Francisco, CA

San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder to return following mental health leave

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5 hours ago

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June 23, 2026

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San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder to return following mental health leave


San Francisco Supervisor Jackie Fielder will resume her duties next week after taking a three-month leave of absence due to mental health.

“I’m coming clear-eyed and grounded and eager to serve in this role again,” Fielder said in a video posted to social media Tuesday.

Fielder was first elected in 2024 to serve District 9, which includes the Mission District and Bernal Heights and Portola neighborhoods. In late March of this year, her staffers announced she was taking a leave of absence to address an “acute personal health crisis” after missing a few weeks of Board of Supervisors meetings.

“I left the work that I love so much, not because I wanted to, but because my mental health demanded it, and I say that with no shame,” she said.

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In the video statement, Fielder mentioned that the pressure of serving as a supervisor took a toll on her mental health.

“I’ve often felt like the weight of this district and city is on my shoulders, and I, through this leave, have had the silver lining of understanding that it never has,” she said. “I was going 100 miles an hour since early 2023 when I started the campaign for supervisor, and being a grassroots candidate is a lot of elbow grease.”

Fielder’s staff continued some of the work in her district while she was gone. She thanked her colleagues and Mayor Daniel Lurie for their support and allowing her to be excused from meetings.

Fielder will return to work Monday and appear at the June 30 board meeting. She is also expected to host listening sessions in her district through July.

“I am an example that it is possible to come back and heal,” she said. “I could not be more honored to serve and more ready to serve.”

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