Chase Park defines Soul Sweets The Dessert House as an Asian-style dessert and Boba tea hang-out spot. Following a stint running a Boba shop on the Las Vegas Strip, Park moved to the area and opened a sushi restaurant. But he decided that his heart was in Boba, so he opened Soul Sweets two years ago in Scotts Valley. Their signature Boba teas are fresh-brewed to order, with tapioca pearl flavors like lychee, mango, and pineapple. They also offer popping Boba that explodes with juice in your mouth. It doesn’t stop with Boba. Park serves up a host of wildly unique—and delicious—treats. Favorites include Taiyaki, a Japanese fish-shaped waffle filled with red beans, chocolate and custard, and scratch-made, Asian-style soft-serve ice cream with brown sugar and cookies and cream toppings. Soul Sweets is open daily from noon-8pm. Park spoke about Boba’s rising popularity and customers’ love for the sensory experience he provides.
Why do you think Boba has become so popular?
CHASE PARK: Because it’s all about fun. It’s not just a drink, because you get to drink and eat at the same time. Boba comes in many different flavors, and the texture is like a soft, chewy fruity-flavored jelly. It also contains less caffeine than coffee, and tea caffeine is different too. And we also have non-caffeinated options as well. I’m a coffee person, but it has a limited variety, and tea just has so many more options and flavors and is much more versatile.
How does Soul Sweets’ ambience delight the senses?
It’s friendly and welcoming, and when you come in, you smell Taiyaki and juicy fresh fruit and fresh tea scents too. For music, we play K-Pop such as BTS and Black Pink and many others. Visually, it’s very clean with clean tables and counters, and it’s a cute design with bright lights and big TV menus. It’s an open-bar concept where you can see everything we do, and everything is made right in front of the customer. Everything is customizable.
222 Mount Hermon Road, Ste. K, Scotts Valley, 831-454-8172; soulsweets831.com.
