By Franklin Zessis

Every Wednesday, Bryan Choi makes a 26-mile drive from Howard County to College Park, where he sets up his tent and prepares to sell baked goods to students at the University of Maryland.

Choi is one of the chefs and partial owners of Little Boy Bakery, one of many small businesses that sell products at the weekly Farmers Market at Tawes Plaza. 

“I come here for fun and to make fresh pastries for the students,” Choi said. “I just love it here. Nice students, nice kids, they have respect [for the business].”

Little Boy Bakery is a small white stand next to the fountains at Tawes Plaza, with baskets packed with French pastries ranging from croissants to macarons. The pastries are made that morning and delivered to an often packed line of customers warm and fresh.

Choi first learned to cook when he was 12 because he needed help out more around the house when his mother got cancer. He later attended four years of culinary school and went to college in New York City for two years. He then began interning at restaurants, and three or four years later, he started working as a baker in New York. 

Choi said he enjoys baking because of the touch of flour, the smell, the texture and the taste.

After moving to Maryland, Choi decided to open the Little Boy Bakery. The Little Boy Bakery is better compared to other bakeries he’s worked at, Choi said. 

“I can control the recipes, and I can add what I like to it,” Choi said. 

The business is named after Choi and his wife’s childhood nostalgia. They both have fond memories of biting into mouth-watering chocolate croissants, Choi said. According to their website, the Little Boy Baker tries to recreate those memories for their customers with each pastry.

Choi said he learned of the Farmers Market about four years ago from his brother, who went to this university for graduate school. Since then, he’s made an effort to keep coming back.

In the past few weeks, the stand has sold out within the first two hours. High-demand items such as chocolate croissants sell out even faster, according to Choi. Last week, they sold out within the first 30 minutes.

“A lot of the time, small businesses get outcompeted by large corporations, so being able to support small businesses here…is really important,” junior cellular biology major Nathan Hoang said.

Sophomore kinesiology major Benjamin Twombly said he often shops for apple cider at the Farmers Market, but the sight of cookies and macarons drew him to the stand.

“I tried some of their macarons before…so I wanted to see what else they sell and had to offer,” said Andrea Torres Negron, an academic advisor at the College of Education.

Featured Image: After a long day of selling pastries, Chef Bryan Choi packs up his tent. Photo by Franklin Zessis