From baking at home to her own pop-up site, meet this 16-year-old business prodigy

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – In the heart of Waikiki sits the workshop of a baking and business prodigy.

Located at International Marketplace, Kyra The Baker is operated by 16-year-old Kyra Lung.

“I basically watched a bunch of tutorials in order to get a little bit of experience in my mind about baking,” Lung said. “Eventually, I learned a few recipes and I had to test a bunch of recipes to get my final cookie recipe out here.”

The Punahou student’s passion for baking started in middle school when she’d make sweet treats for family and friends.

She then started to build a following online, which eventually led to her pop-up site in Waikiki.

And just like her cookies, the company is made from scratch ― from scouting locations to creating a business plan to crafting a website.

“I created the entire website during school actually, instead of doing homework,” Lung said. “I just wanted to display all my flavors out. Instead of people, maybe asking me through text messages.”

And her friends have witnessed firsthand how much demand there is.

“I remember her just starting and baking lots of pastries and I would come over to her house and she would just start baking cakes and cupcakes,” said Lung’s longtime friend Jenelle Lau. “So I’ve seen how it gradually progressed.”

Lung estimates she’s backed roughly 15,000 cookies over the past several years.

And she’s using her skills to help others, donating proceeds to organizations like Ronald McDonald House and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Her pop-up will close in mid-August when she’ll be focusing on her senior year.

She plans to apply to 20 colleges, and as for her long-term plans, the possibilities are endless.

“I feel like I can always change my mind in the future,” Lung said. “You can change majors and stuff, but maybe I’ll go into business? Or I was thinking science as well, but it’s totally different.”

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