Let's Eat, Ledgerland: French patisserie Keegan Kreations hits the sweet spot

Valeria Vazquez, The Patriot Ledger
·4 min read
Pastry chef Keegan Yee and his wife Yilin Chen run Keegan Kreations Bakeshop on Court Street in Plymouth. Yee trained at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Pastry chef Keegan Yee and his wife Yilin Chen run Keegan Kreations Bakeshop on Court Street in Plymouth. Yee trained at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

PLYMOUTH — Keegan and Yilin Yee started with $25 in their pocket when they came to their first farmer's market in Weymouth with a few croissants, sticky buns and cupcakes. When they got home they saw a review on their Facebook page from a customer that said: "This double chocolate croissant was worth the two-hour drive from Cape Cod."

Ever since, Keegan Kreations has been known for their croissants and the Yees grew a a steady stream of customers.

"My wife and I run a commercial kitchen, and we went from 10 croissants produced to like a thousand croissants that we sold out every week," Keegan Yee said. "We even had a line of people waiting to buy our croissants every weekend, no matter what farmers market we went to."

More: Let's Eat, Ledgerland: It's milkshake madness at Munchies and Milkshakes in Plymouth, Hull

The Yees were content with their booth at farmer's markets across the South Shore. But when customers would buy their croissants they began to ask where they could get the baked goods on a daily basis. After hearing suggestions that they should open a store for two years, they finally took the plunge.

Pastry chef Keegan Yee and his wife Yilin Chen run Keegan Kreations Bakeshop on Court Street in Plymouth. Yee trained at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Pastry chef Keegan Yee and his wife Yilin Chen run Keegan Kreations Bakeshop on Court Street in Plymouth. Yee trained at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

"That was stuck in our mind, that we really needed to open a store because for two years we heard almost every single customer tell us that we needed to open a store front," Yee said.

Using MainVest, an online platform that helps small businesses to find investors, Keegan Kreations raised $96,000 to open the bakeshop in Plymouth. Yee's confections - croissants, cakes, sticky buns, scones - hit the South Shore's sweet spot. However, the week they opened in March of 2020, the state announced its stay-at-home order and the Yees had to close their doors and let go the workers they had just hired and trained.

More: Let's Eat, Ledgerland: Say 'oui' to French macarons from Farmhouse Baking Co. in Weymouth

They quickly pivoted by editing their website so customers could order online and started offering curbside pickup. Some of Yee's creations include pistachio rose croissant, almond croissant, Matcha croissant and Monkey Bread, made with cinnamon sugar and croissant dough.

French pastries are the stars at Keegan Kreations Bakeshop in Plymouth.
French pastries are the stars at Keegan Kreations Bakeshop in Plymouth.

"The crazy part is, we were really busy and people were really supportive, and people were buying everything and we continued to sell out," Yee said.

Yee was born and raised in Malaysia in a small town called Ipoh. He immigrated to Boston in 1996. He studied in the baking and pastry program at Johnson and Wales University in Providence and after graduation he began his career at Taj Boston Hotel, designing wedding cakes. In 2013 Yee moved to the Berkshires and became the pastry chef at Wheatleigh, a luxury Hotel in Lenox.

More: Let's Eat, Ledgerland: Hingham's Salty Days Fish Co. reels in seafood lovers

The aesthetically pleasing atmosphere of the store's white walls and wooden accents resembles the ambiance of the high-end hotels Yee worked at as a pastry chef.

"At the Wheatleigh Hotel, which is my last job before I opened my business, everything in the shop is handmade and everything is made from scratch," Yee said. "That's where I found my passion for making croissants."

Keegan Kreations offers walk-in service and online orders for pickup. Their famous croissants range in price from $4 to $6 depending on the flavor and every weekend Yee creates "something special" based on what fruits are in season.

Pastry chef Keegan Yee and his wife Yilin Chen run Keegan Kreations Bakeshop on Court Street in Plymouth. Yee trained at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.
Pastry chef Keegan Yee and his wife Yilin Chen run Keegan Kreations Bakeshop on Court Street in Plymouth. Yee trained at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island.

For Yee, his favorite part about baking and owning his own store is interacting with the many customers that wait outside.

More: Let's Eat, Ledgerland: New Just The Dip food truck dives into dips

More: Let's Eat, Ledgerland: At Flanders Field, it's beer and bites - Belgian style

"When I was a pastry chef back in the hotel, I never got to interact with my customer. I always plated the dessert and the server brought it to the customer. I never got to talk to them," Yee said. "But then once I opened my own shop, I found the connection between customers and I really fascinating. I feel like baking really brings people together and I feel like what I do is bring a community or a family together. My creation, my dessert is always a thing to bring people together and sit at the table, and then talk and have a good conversation."

IF YOU GO

What: Keegan Kreations

Where: 20 Court St., Plymouth A 02360

Hours: 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Contact: 617-299 -1340; https://www.keegankreations.com/

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: From croissants to cakes, Keegan Kreations in Plymouth hits sweet spot