A trendy dessert turns you into a fire-breathing dragon. Wichita vendor says his is safe

It caused quite a smoky commotion at last weekend’s Wichita Asian Festival, and at Towne East mall, it’s been responsible for long lines stretching all the way to Foot Locker.

Magic Breath, a business opened by local entrepreneur Kevin Huynh, is Wichita’s version of the liquid nitrogen dessert trend that’s taking hold across the country — and that prompted a warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in August.

The dessert is made by mixing brightly colored, puffy Korean breakfast cereal with liquid nitrogen. Customers pop a bite in their mouths, and suddenly, they have the ability to puff vapor out of their noses and mouths. For this reason, the treat is commonly called “Dragon Breath.”

Everyone who sees it wants to try it —as evidenced by the never-ending line at the Huynh’s Magic Breath booth at Saturday’s Wichita Asian Festival at Century II. After school and on weekends, his kiosk on the lower level of Towne East Square, nearest J.C. Penney, also is overwhelmed with business. Teens and families with young kids especially love the treat, he said.

Huynh opened in Towne East in June, just two months before the FDA put out a warning advising people to avoid eating foods that are prepared with liquid nitrogen immediately before being served. The warning was prompted by reports of customers getting burns on their skin and in their mouths. There were also reports of serious complications for children with asthma who ate the treat.

Huynh said wasn’t surprised about the warning and even saw it coming. While researching his business, he traveled to several big cities to check out other operations and said he was disturbed by what he saw.

Huynh insists that his process for making the treat is safe and that the FDA warning was prompted by the type of fly-by-night outfits that are “spreading like a virus” across the country. Those operators come in to a mall for a couple of months, make a bunch of cash, then leave. You can spot them, he says, because they have giant liquid nitrogen tanks, sometimes built into cabinets. These vendors also dispense the liquid nitrogen directly into the cup of cereal they’re about to hand to a customer, which leaves a collection of liquid nitrogen in the bottom of the cup. That’s what causes the danger, he said.

Huynh said he studied chemistry at Wichita State University and has closely studied liquid nitrogen. His employees put the cereal in a separate mixing bowl where they add the liquid nitrogen, set a timer, and stir it for a full minute to warm it up. They wait another five seconds after dumping it in a cup to give it to customers, then instruct customers to blow on each piece for five seconds before popping it in their mouths. They also instruct customers to eat the treat by stabbing each piece with a provided bamboo stick rather than using their fingers.

He won’t sell the treat to people with asthma or women over six months pregnant, he said.

Huynh, who also owns M.A.D. AD— a company that has installed computerized restroom mirrors in a few local restaurants — said that his process makes the smoke in the treat last about five to eight minutes. Competitors who pour the nitrogen directly into the cup can get the smoke to last longer but risk their customers’ safety.

“I’m not worried about money,” Huynh said. “I’m more concerned about people.”

Huynh said he hasn’t had any incidents since opening four months ago and doesn’t anticipate that he will. He said he spends much of his day explaining to people, who have heard the FDA warning, how his process is different.

In addition to the giant colorful Korean cereal puffs that are his standard, Huynh also adds liquid nitrogen to Cap’n Crunch and CoCoa Puffs cereal as well as to cheese puffs. He also offers dipping sauces in caramel, seal salt caramel dark chocolate, white chocolate and vanilla. One cup of Magic Breath is $6 and comes with a dipping sauce. Huynh also sells kombucha from his booth.

He’s hoping to get booths at next year’s Wichita Riverfest and Kansas State Fair, and he’s also in the process of opening four more Magic Breath booths in other states,