The pastries by Shim Sang Yong at Manna Bakery in Oakleigh, Melbourne, are a portal to South Korea for homesick Korean-Australians.
"We have a lot of customers who travel from interstate and from all over Victoria to visit family members, and they buy our products as gifts, or they buy a lot to take it home with them," says Sang Yong's son Joseph, 26, who bakes at and helps run Manna Bakery.
Some of Manna Bakery's products have made Korean customers feel like they've taken a time machine. Joseph recalls an elderly woman who cried when she spotted their white bean doughnut (생도넛츠). She had loved eating this treat when she was younger. On another occasion, Sang Yong received flowers from a woman who couldn't believe her eyes when she saw that he was selling peanut crust bun (소보로 빵), a sweet she hadn't eaten for a long time.
But it's not just the the pastry selection that keep loyal customers coming back, it's the quality too. Each product is handmade daily by Sang Yong and Joseph, using only the best ingredients. Further, Sang Yong is an accomplished pastry chef. When Sang Yong was in his early twenties, he trained at a prestigious pastry school in Japan. Then, after returning to South Korea, he won three pastry competitions. He was also the executive manager and head pastry chef at a large bakery franchise for 10 years.
The peanut crust bun at Manna Bakery. Source: Manna Bakery
He never told me the exact measurements or temperature, or why we do things a certain way. I just had to do it.
When he moved to Melbourne in his late thirties, he created a milk bun recipe for two bakery enterprises. The milk bun was distributed to over 500 cafes and stores. If you've had a milk bun at a Melbourne cafe, there's a fair chance that Sang Yong made it.
But even though he'd always wanted to open his own bakery, the time never felt right.
To provide for his young family in Korea, he worked at a large bakery franchise. However, 15-18-hour work days eventually pushed him and his wife Michelle to take the family on a year-long holiday to Sydney. "I realised during that time in Sydney that this is how a family should be," says Sang Yong. So, 4 years later, they moved to Melbourne.
While moving to Melbourne helped his work-life balance, he couldn't open his own Korean bakery right away. Sang Yong needed a pastry chef with specialised Korean pastry training. But this was hard to find in Australia.
Shin Sang Yong, 53, with his sons Joseph, 26, and Min, 24, in front of their shop in Oakleigh, Melbourne. Source: Manna Bakery
Sang Yong explains that Korean baking was born out of the styles and techniques that Korean bakers learned from Germany, France, Japan and England. It has been adapted to suit the Korean palate. "In my experience, it is one of the most challenging styles to master," he says.
In my experience, it is one of the most challenging styles to master.
So, he started baking at home and selling his products at Korean grocery stores. Korean-Australians caught wind of this, and ordered their favourites to pick up at Sang Yong's wife's hair salon. Joseph, who at the time was completing his teaching degree, was enlisted as a kitchen hand.
There was never any expectation that Sang Yong's sons would follow in his footsteps. But after graduating from university, Joseph began learning his dad's trade and considered opening a business with him. Once Joseph had assured his dad that he was in it for the long haul, Manna Bakery came to be.
Of course, it hasn't been easy since Joseph didn't have formal training. "He'd teach me very quickly on top of the work we were doing," Joseph says. "He never told me the exact measurements or temperature, or why we do things a certain way. I just had to do it."
Joseph's grit has helped him come into his own as a baker. "Dad doesn't really need to look after me much anymore, so he can work on coming up with new products." Joseph's brother, Min, 24, also works at the bakery, managing the front-of-house.
Manna Bakery's fresh cream strawberry cake. Source: Manna Bakery
Today, their shop is selling three times the products they did when they first started. Their customers, whom used to be mostly Korean-Australians, have grown immensely. "Now 30 to 40 per cent are Koreans and the rest are all non-Koreans," says Joseph.
Sang Yong only had one thing to say when asked to reflect on his journey thus far: "It is all God's blessing."
Melbourne, Victoria
Tuesday to Friday: 9am-5pm
Saturday: 9am-12pm
Sunday-Monday: Closed
