CROMWELL — Chan Vorasane-Graham, owner of newly opened From Chan Bakeshop in Cromwell, is equally expert at cooking and baking — a rarity in the culinary world, she said.
Vorasane-Graham launched her unique breakfast and lunch spot at 50 Berlin Road in December, specializing in classic American and French-Asian artisan pastries, as well as handcrafted beverages and coffees made with homemade syrups.
But don’t expect a menu. That’s because Vorasane-Graham arrives at her shop in the wee hours of the morning not knowing what she’ll be baking. She takes an inventory of ingredients and lets her creativity loose.
When customers come in, they have no idea what they’ll find, she said.
“If I’m out of one item, you get another item, and the next day, it’s a different thing. Other bakeries, when they sell out, they close the doors," she said. "I don’t do that because there are so many options you can choose from."
Vorasane-Graham emigrated with her family from Laos and resettled in Texas while she was young. When she and her first husband moved to Maine, she won first place in a community college cooking competition.
Soon after, Vorasane-Graham was recruited by Johnson & Wales University, where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in culinary arts. While in culinary school, she said, chefs would tell her she was “lucky” to have a dual talent.
Later, she earned a master's of business degree in finance.
While in grad school, Vorasane-Graham worked as a chef at Temple Downtown in Hartford, a “high-end” restaurant,” she said, but one day realized she wanted to do something different.
Her son encouraged her to take time off and “do whatever you want,” Vorasane-Graham said.
She took his advice. In 2012, she and her sister backpacked their way around the world for four months, including spending a month in Italy.
Her travel bug was later satisfied when Vorasane-Graham worked for U.S. Airways — now American Airlines — from 2012-19.
“I started off at $10.25 (an hour) and I didn’t care,” she said of the career change. “I’ve been to so many countries, so many cities, eating all the food, the pastries — everything you can think of."
In 2019, she and her sister opened Bou Nom Bakery in Avon.
“We became so popular so fast because the way I bake is so unique,” she said. In fact, there was often a two-hour long wait line.
A year later, her sister took over the business. She then opened Chan's Street Fusion in Hartford's Parkville.
Last August, she took over the former Frankie B's Bakery at 6 Wapping Road in the Broad Brook section of East Windsor, something she calls a “gift from God” after the owner approached her with a deal she couldn’t resist.
Vorasane-Graham tookn a hiatus there in February to rework her concept at the Broad Brook shop.
It will be “totally different,” she said, specializing in donuts and fried chicken, along with cookies and ice cream. She’s already dreaming of her chicken-and-waffle-type sandwich with a donut on the side.
Vorasane-Graham is certain the items will be a “hit” with clients. It’s expected to reopen the second week in April.
Her homemade, milky lemonade, which comes in many flavors, such as lychee, orange cream, dragon fruit and lavender, is a fan favorite.
“People think it’s creamy but I have no cream in it," she said. "It’s the way I make it."
Her brown butter cookie coffee tastes like a coffee biscuit latte.
“I call it dirty chai," Vorasane-Graham said. "It’s like coffee and chai tea mixed together."
Tea flavors include passion fruit, dirty green, and hibiscus latte. Sandwiches range from a jalapeno, sausage and hash browns handheld, to the double Asian, consisting of hash browns and shaved beef with house spicy mayo.
Her “secret” ingredient isn’t a tangible one.
“You bake it from the love from right here,” Vorasane-Graham said, gesturing to her heart. “If you don’t put love and soul into it, it’s not going to taste good.”
The bakery is open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. It is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
For more information, visit From Chan Bakeshop on Instagram, From Chan Bakeshop on Facebook or call 860-894-6161.
March 6, 2025
Reporter
Cassandra Day is an assistant managing editor with the Middletown Press. She is an award-winning multimedia journalist and resident of the North End of Middletown who has been reporting nearly every facet of the city for over two decades.