Before Beth Kass opened Mochichis—a mochi donut and soft serve ice cream shop—in July 2024, she had no experience in the restaurant industry aside from manning the movie theater snack bar in high school. Almost one year later, Beth’s bakeshop dream has become “more than just a donut shop—it’s a vibe.”
With a master’s degree in organizational change management, Beth has a background in nonprofits and also spent time working on base with various branches of the U.S. military. Due to her husband Jordan Kass’ job, Beth has spent the last decade living and starting a family in Hawaii, Italy, and Spain. After their global stint, the couple moved back to Southern California, where they were both born and raised.
When she was back on American turf, Beth stepped into a mochi donut shop. “This was prior to me being laid off, and I thought, ‘Oh that’s really good.’ We never thought anything more than that.” Once she got laid off, however, Beth found herself realizing that her neighborhood in San Diego had no good donut shops.
Using Google and Instagram to her advantage, Beth was ready for a career change and looked to fill the donut-shaped hole. She came into contact with a young man in Las Vegas who was opening a mochi donut shop, and, to her surprise, he invited her and Jordan to come visit, saying he was happy to teach them.
Mochi donuts are a fusion between classic Japanese mochi and the American ring donut. Made with rice flour or tapioca flour, they do not require yeast to rise, resulting in a unique and chewy consistency.
A few weeks later, after learning the basics, Beth recalls telling her husband, “If this kid in his upper 20s can do it, we can do it.” That summer, the single-unit concept opened for business in Encinitas, California, just north of San Diego.
Breaking into the Southern California food scene is tricky—the aesthetic of a shop’s interior and branding means almost as much as the food’s taste and quality. For Beth, the perfect formula was “embracing the Southern California vibe,” complete with branded skateboards, sticker-covered walls, and a display stacked with a range of glossy and brightly colored mochi donuts. Because Beth refers to Mochichis as “the underdog,” the brand also includes a mascot—a donut-munching groundhog named Chuck.
“I’ve always had a love of donuts. Literally the first time my husband ever laid eyes on me was when I was walking out of a donut shop, randomly,” Beth says. A mother of two, she says, “After trying these mochi donuts and realizing they don’t have to have yeast to rise, I was glad that I wouldn’t have to be up at 2 in the morning prepping these donuts.” While the baking process for mochi donuts is still quite strenuous, the time frame creates more ease in making new batches throughout the day in comparison to yeasty cake donuts.
Mochichis prides itself on being family-owned and family-run. Because of the time spent abroad following Jordan’s job, Beth says he told her, “You’ve always supported my career, I’m in on whatever you want to do.” Although Jordan still works a job outside of Mochichis, Beth says his support has been extremely helpful in their daily flow of raising children while also taking time to decorate and serve tasty donuts. Jordan is not the only family member putting in effort. Mochichis is also the couple’s 16-year-old son’s first job. Beth also refers to their 8-year-old daughter as “my little marketer,” saying she is very fond of telling passersby about her mom’s donut shop.
“It’s been a really cool thing to experience together as a family,” Beth says. “I think it’s a really good thing for [my kids] to see, that you can do hard things and that you can do anything you want to learn.”
Mochichis also hires many high schoolers to help out after their classes. “I’m really big into mentoring and wanting to be that first job for kids,” Beth says.
The space Mochichis occupies previously housed two donut shops, which Beth says has worked to her advantage in gaining new customers who frequented prior shops.
“We wanted to be a part of our community and act as a positive area for the people who live around us,” she says. “They know their kids are in a safe space. It’s kind of a grounding, communal place.”
As Beth has gotten used to the success of her store and the routine of constant baking, her flavor combinations have also expanded. While Mochichis keeps a rotating schedule of their mochi donut treats, she says the only bad reviews she’s received so far were running out of the popular Ube Oreo donut, featuring a lavender-colored purple yam frosting. Other customer favorites include the Matcha Brulee donut, a burnt sugar rim twist on their usual neon-green matcha, and the Thai Tea donut, which Beth believes tastes exactly like the drink.
Mochichis has been nominated for Best Donuts in San Diego by San Diego Magazine and has a booth at the Switchfoot Bro-Am Beach Fest in June. Also, Mochichis will soon become a vendor at Snapdragon Stadium, where San Diego State University’s football team plays. For Beth and Jordan, both SDSU alums, the future looks sweet.
