Katy Sushi Spot’s Rising Star Pastry Chef, Jio Dingayan, Creates Sweets Set for a Cause
To honor both Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPI) and Mental Health Awareness Month in May, Chef Jio Dingayan, the talent behind Tobiuo Sushi & Bar’s extraordinary pastry program, has created a limited-time dessert box featuring exquisite treats, and 20 percent of sales will benefit the Asian Mental Health Collective‘s efforts to normalize and destigmatize mental health within the Asian community. Boxes will be available for pre-order only to pick up Sat., May 28, or Sun., May 29.
The alignment of the two designated months is meaningful to both Dingayan and Tobiuo’s chef and owner, Sherman Yeung. While each are extremely proud of their respective Asian roots—Dingayan is Filipino and Yeung is Chinese—both have struggled with cultural expectations and the physical and mental challenges of working in the restaurant industry. “In the Asian community, we’re conditioned to do many things—to prioritize what others want rather than what we want, to execute without feeling or showing emotions, to fear voicing our thoughts so as not to be disrespectful,” says Dingayan. “We’re told by our elders that depression, disorders and anxiety aren’t real. Like tradition, these unhealthy mindsets are passed down from generation to generation. I believe it is important to intercept them and do better so we can be mentally healthier and happier.”
Yeung shares similar sentiments: “In Chinese, we have the saying ‘kowtow’ or ‘bow your head’. Generically, it means to shy away from attention or not make waves, but if everyone kowtows and no one speaks up, nothing changes. We want to do our best to spread awareness and help drive change.”
The artful dessert collection, all inspired by boba milk tea flavors, will highlight Asian ingredients that are ubiquitous among Southeast Asian food and beverage cultures, incorporating them into traditional French pastry. Created and handcrafted by Dingayan, credited with building Tobiuo’s stunning and innovative dessert program from scratch, each box features six desserts:
- Matcha Opera Cake – Layers of matcha sponge, Hojicha whipped ganache, matcha buttercream
- Jasmine Milk Tea Boba Mousse – Jasmine mousse filled with brown sugar baby boba on a sablé Breton cookie
- Thai Tea Cookie Sando – Brown butter-white chocolate cookie, Thai tea and kaffir lime leaf ganache
- Ube Butter Mochi Cake – Ube and coconut-infused butter mochi cake
- Oreo Milk Tea Macaron – Black cocoa pâte sucrée, French macaron, Oreo mascarpone whip, black tea ganache
- Strawberry Oolong Cheesecake – Oolong and strawberry cheesecake, strawberry powder, fresh strawberry
Boxes are $55 each and can be ordered by calling the restaurant at 281-394-7156. Deadline for ordering is Wed., May 25.
In addition to sharing immense pride in and celebration of their respective cultures, Dingayan and Yeung hope Tobiuo’s dessert boxes will bring attention to mental health issues within the Asian community, the restaurant industry and beyond. Dingayan has also curated a list of mental health resources, accessible via Linktree and Instagram at linktr.ee/jforjio.
Tobiuo Sushi & Bar is located at LaCenterra Shopping Center (23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd, Suite H130, Katy TX, 77494) and serves lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Its daily social hour runs from 2 to 5 p.m. For more details, visit tobiuosushibar.com and follow @tobiuosushibar on Instagram and Facebook.