Parked at the Alachua County Farmer’s Market, a bright pink truck stood in contrast against the green grass. The truck is the home of Blossom and Bloom, a new dessert venture by 37-year-old Ananda Moon.
The dessert-house-on-wheels had its grand opening Saturday following a soft opening July 18. The truck offers a variety of Asian-inspired desserts and teas with flavors like lemongrass and blue lavender.
While these flavors may seem unique to a Western customer, Moon said they’re commonly found in cafes in Japan and other parts of the world. While Moon is from Michigan, she developed an interest in the exotic flavors while working at a Japanese-French fusion bakery.
Blossom and Bloom’s menu accommodates many alternative diets, offering vegan options for nearly all items. Moon herself is a vegetarian and has been vegan and even fruitarian in the past.
The truck can currently be found on Saturdays at the Alachua County Farmer’s Market, though Moon is in the process of adding other new locations and times.
When the truck isn’t running, Moon’s hard at work at Gainesville Commissary, a commercial kitchen she pays rent to use, carefully crafting her artisanal offerings. Moon estimates she spends over 30 hours a week just preparing and serving her items, in addition to recipe development, logistical planning and taking care of her two children.
Her children are a source of inspiration for some of Blossom and Bloom’s items. Upon her son’s request for soda and ice cream, Moon began experimenting with different kinds of floats for the truck’s menu — like one that combines strawberry soda with mango ice cream.
A key feature of her menu is an emphasis on clean ingredients, Moon added. She makes as many things from scratch as possible — including the tapioca pearls, which she said most boba shops rarely make in-house. Moon herself is allergic to pesticides, so clean sourcing is crucial.
“I started eating this way because I had to, because I was getting sick all the time,” Moon said. “And so it's just really reassuring when other people also really care about the quality of what they're eating. I'm really grateful to learn that other people are also looking for this kind of purity in what they put in their bodies.”
This clean label of ingredients is a life-saver for 58-year-old Kimberly Rayborne, a long-time customer of Moon’s other business, sourdough bakery Bhūmi Mill.
Rayborn has digestive issues and food sensitivities, preventing her from comfortably eating many desserts and breads. Blossom and Bloom’s offerings provide her a respite.
“I hadn't been able to eat really good desserts for so long,” Rayborn said. “I just had felt like I’m included again in the world of breads and desserts with her company.”
Rayborn loves the truck’s “viral fruit” desserts, which imitate both the flavor and appearance of an actual fruit but are actually mousse wrapped in a hard candy shell.
This favorite is shared by Olivia Martin, Moon’s close friend.
The 36-year-old has seen Moon put months of hard work into the new food venture. She praised her attention to detail when sourcing ingredients and complimented the creativity of her menu. Martin’s proud to see her friend achieve such a monumental goal, she said, and she’s happy to try the new desserts.
“You can taste her heart,” Martin said. “You can taste her consciousness. You can taste how much thought went into and care went into creating that unique thing.”
Contact Christopher Rodriguez at crodriguez@alligator.org. Follow him on X @ChrisRodri29386.
