By Maria Allen
Photography by Jules Ko Photography
There’s nothing quite like biting into an authentic French croissant. The pastry is light and buttery and the flaky layers give way with a delicate crunch. Made from surprisingly few ingredients—water, yeast, butter and sugar—croissants are a baked good that requires great skill and dedication to master. Thankfully, they are one of the specialties at the newly opened Plymouth bakery, Keegan Kreations.
Local foodies have been buzzing about this neighborhood patisserie ever since it opened its doors in early March. Owner Thim Yee (known to many by his nickname, “Keegan”) and his wife, Yilin Chen, rise before dawn each day to begin baking an assortment of high-quality items for their shop. Among their specialties are pecan sticky buns, lemon blueberry danishes and pull-apart monkey bread. Signature croissant flavors include almond, double chocolate, matcha, and pistachio rose, which is filled with a rose-scented pistachio cream and topped with candied rose petals and chopped pistachios. The bakery also sells a selection of cakes, cookies and pies.
Yee studied baking and pastry at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island, and attended classes at The French Pastry School of Chicago. He honed his craft as the pastry chef at the luxurious five-star, five-diamond Wheatleigh Hotel in Lenox, Massachusetts, before deciding to launch his own business. In the beginning, the Weymouth couple sold small batches of pastries at local farmer’s markets in Braintree, Quincy, Weymouth and Kingston. They quickly developed a loyal following, with customers arriving at the markets early to line up for their favorite pastries.
Encouraged by friends and customers, Yee and his wife launched a crowdfunding campaign through MainVest, which allowed them to fund their brick-and-mortar location at 20 Court Street. Opening the business has been a labor of love for the couple and they look forward to their first season in business in America’s Hometown. “I’m kind of a dreamer,” says Yee. “When my wife and I visited Plymouth to see the space my wife started dancing in the street and I felt peace in my heart.” To learn more or place an online order, visit keegankreations.com.
