Our Story

Since 1974, Hatsuye “Hatsy” and Hisao “Moses” Yasukochi have been serving the famous Coffee Crunch cake to visitors from all over the country in San Francisco’s historic Japantown.

Before opening the Yasukochi’s Sweet Stop, Moses co-owned a bakery on Ocean Avenue called Antoine’s Bakery. During this time he worked with a former candy maker from Blum’s, a famous eatery and candy shop chain in the Bay Area, who taught him the signature Coffee Crunch cake recipe.

After opening the Sweet Stop, Moses continued to perfect the recipe so it is now uniquely his own. The cake has been featured in numerous Bay Area magazines, newspapers, and television shows. It’s also been recognized as the best cake in San Francisco. In 2019, the San Francisco Small Business Commission recognized the Sweet Stop by adding it to the Registry of Legacy Businesses.

Hatsy joined Moses working at the bakery as the official cake decorator. She quickly became the face of the bakery, helping customers and building relationships. Over the years, Hatsy got to know many of their customers, greeting them by name each time they came. If the Sweet Stop is best known for the Coffee Crunch, Hatsy’s warmth and bright smile was a close second. Sadly, in March 2020, Hatsy was exposed to the COVID-19 virus and passed away.

Truly a family business, Hatsy and Moses’ daughters grew up often helping during weekends and holidays. Now their grandchildren and other family members carry on that tradition.

Today, the Yasukochi tradition continues with their grandson, Kenji Yick, a graduate of the French Culinary Institute. Kenji’s goal is to keep his grandparents’ dream alive and to further build on their success.