When I first moved to this house in Echo Park, I knew there was something special about it. It gave me a sense of home, which I never felt during my 6 years of constant moving in the States.

And when I saw that the kitchen window flips up, I knew I needed to do something. Lilac Tea House pop-up is made to spread this sense of home to you with a cup of homemade matcha grown from a multigenerational tea farm. I’m always infatuated with the idea of home cafes because it brings people together with intimacy and warmth.

It is not just a cafe you go get drinks at; it is a community - a sense of home. I want people to come here with the intention of that. Talk to people, genuinely ask how their weeks are, or simply just enjoy each other’s company. And of course enjoy a cup of matcha and a luxurious slow morning on a Saturday in a stranger’s backyard.

- Derek Ouyang