During the pandemic, Kimmie McIntosh was out of work, uncertain whether she wanted to return to restaurants, and looking for a way to respond to the racial and social injustices unfolding around her.
Then she discovered Bakers Against Racism, a movement started by pastry chef Paola Velez that encouraged entrepreneurs to raise money for nonprofit organizations through bake sales.
“I’m not a protester, so I was doing it through baking food,” says McIntosh, who attended culinary school and gained kitchen experience in Santa Barbara, but later moved into front-of-house restaurant work and management. “It was this amazing and positive way of being able to fight back against the injustices that I was seeing.”
Those virtual sales eventually became Milkfish Bakeshop, the Filipino-inspired pop-up McIntosh operates with husband Josh. The couple became 2024 James Beard Award semifinalists for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker, and McIntosh received another semifinalist nomination in 2026.
Initially, pop-ups offered the quickest way to introduce her food without committing to a permanent location. Now, the format is part of Milkfish’s identity.
“I really enjoy the freedom,” McIntosh says. “I have a lot of fun coming up with totally different ideas, not necessarily following the same thing over and over.”
She often reinterprets Filipino flavors. Karioka, a traditional street food, becomes coconut mochi fritters layered with caramelized coconut garnishes and sea salt. Her longganisa cheddar drop biscuits fold garlicky, slightly sweet Filipino breakfast sausage into a form customers compare to a certain familiar seafood-chain biscuit.
Almost every collaboration returns Milkfish to its bake-sale roots. A Fukuburger special supported Families for Effective Autism Treatment, while a TSP Baking Company pop-up benefited The Center. McIntosh asks partners which nonprofit matters to them, then incorporates that organization into the event.
On Wednesday, Aug. 26, Milkfish will pop up at Viking Mike’s Alpine Yurt Bar. Chef Dan Coughlin is developing a collaborative Filipino-inspired longganisa sausage plate with proceeds benefiting the ACLU of Nevada.
A storefront remains part of the long-term plan. Until then, McIntosh enjoys circulating through the restaurant community that helped Milkfish grow.
“I get to go around, hang out with all my friends in their places, and serve my food there,” she says. “It’s just a lot of fun.”
