Beloved Bay Area market to open Korean bakery
The bakery is set to arrive this summer at 2368 Junipero Serra Blvd., across from the grocery store, with a range of Korean and French baked goods. Owner Haesoo Park, who opened the original Kukje in San Francisco in 1990, has long wanted to start a bakery, said his niece, Annie Kim. Kukje didn't have sufficient kitchen space to bake items in-house, so instead sold pastries from a San Jose bakery. When the owner of Jade Dragon Restaurant just across the street from Kukje wanted to retire and approached him about taking over the space, he jumped at the opportunity.
'He's been obsessed with the idea for a long time,' Kim said.
Kukje Bakery will bake classic Korean pastries as well as 'French fusion' items and 'special' croissants, she said. It will be similar to the Korean chain Paris Baguette, but with more seasonal creations. The bakery will have a full espresso bar and a seating area for people to dine on site. An Instagram video shows a large, open space with warm wood accents.
Kukje has been a Bay Area mainstay for decades, known for its array of banchan, homey hot dishes and produce. In a review this week, Chronicle restaurant critic MacKenzie Chung Fegan lauded Kukje's soups and unpretentious vibe, especially as compared to much-hyped Korean markets like the nearby Jagalchi. 'I'll choose Kukje nine times out of 10 if I'm looking for a meal,' she wrote.
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