Local Entrepreneurs: The Plain

Ihad never been a macaron fan and could not understand the craze that swept Korea for this French dessert. I did try many places with macarons in search of that special something, but without success – until one day when I ate my fi rst macaron from Th e Plain. I will never forget that day. I chose a crème brûlée macaron and was speechless aft er tasting it. Th e Plain has, by far, the best macarons I have ever had and now I am their devoted customer. Th ey use only the best ingredients, and everything is handmade, fresh, and delicious with topquality, top ingredients but reasonable prices (2,500 won per macaron). It is the hot spot in Gwangju and is very well known among Koreans. It also is small, like, only a maximum three people can enter at once. All the aspects mentioned above made me want to know more about the person behind the miracle, so I arranged an interview with Kim Yeo-ryeong for my own benefi t as well as that of the readers of the Gwangju News.

Gwangju News (GN): Hello and thank you for taking time to do this interview. Please introduce yourself to our readers. Kim Yeo-ryeong: First, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to introduce my shop to the Gwangju News’ readers. My name is Kim Yeo-ryeong (김여령) and I operate a small dessert shop that makes macarons and cakes.

GN: How did you come up with the idea of opening a business here? What are the biggest challenges of owning and running your own business? Kim Yeo-ryeong: Starting a business for the fi rst time was a challenge I had not thought through in detail at the time. I accidentally came across a dessert called macaron and wanted to learn how to make it, so it started as a hobby. I fell in love with making these cookies and thought, “I’d rather open a store than do this at home,” and I was able to fi nd my current store through a friend.

Interview by Melline Galani

To tell you the truth, there are no big diffi culties in running the store except, maybe, the space. As the store became better known over time, the space proved to be insuffi cient compared to the increased amount of work, so I would say this part is the most diffi cult one. I run the store with my mother and younger sister, but it is too narrow for the three of us to work together at the same time.

GN: What were you doing before you opened the store and how long has Th e Plain been around? Kim Yeo-ryeong: Before opening the store, I taught English at a language school because my major was English. Th e Plain was opened in May 2017, so it will be our fourth anniversary in a few months.

GN: You have the best and most delicious macarons in Gwangju. What is the secret behind this special taste, and where did you learn to make these delectable delicacies? Kim Yeo-ryeong: Th ank you deeply for considering Th e Plain macarons to be delicious. I learned how to make macarons fi rst in Gwangju and, in order to make them better, secondly in Cheongju. I think the secret to the special taste is the homemade jam. My mom makes the jam that goes into the macarons, and she works with a minimal quantity of sugar to limit the sweetness. With less sugar, the lifetime of the jam is shorter, so we must make it oft en. We are trying to put not only natural fl avors into our products but also high-quality ingredients all wrapped up with love and passion.

GN: How did you perfect your own macaron recipe? We know they are not easy to make. Kim Yeo-ryeong: Th e recipes we use today are Th e Plain’s signature. Aft er taking baking classes, I tried many variations at home and adjusted the recipe. Th e macaron crust is called coque and is really tricky to make well. I used to practice making it dozens of times a day. I

GN: This location of The Plain is really interesting in that even though it is on a popular street, it is so tiny and easy to miss. Do people struggle to find your shop? Kim Yeo-ryeong: Indeed, the store is small and sometimes not easy to find. I thought about moving somewhere else but decided not to because the actual location is too good [on Art Street in downtown Gwangju]. Usually, if customers have problems finding it, they call me for further directions.

GN: It seems kind of weird that macarons have become so trendy, right? It does not seem like they are really that accessible. What do you think attracts people to them? Kim Yeo-ryeong: Yes, macarons are rather expensive precisely because they are not easy to make at home;

it takes a lot of time and practice to be able to make a decent dessert like this. Moreover, it is also difficult to make diversified flavors. But they are really delicious treats coming in so many flavors and colors, and I think this is what attracts people to them.

GN: Besides macarons, do you do other desserts? How can people order these desserts? Kim Yeo-ryeong: We occasionally sell other desserts. We make regular cakes only when specially ordered. Our customers order through KakaoTalk, and we make the taste and design they want. In addition to that, we also make various desserts such as madeleines, financiers, cube cakes (a small cake in the shape of a cube, enough for 1–2 persons), and cookies. However, for these desserts we do not take orders due to time constraints: Making the macarons and the custom-made cakes takes up the whole day.

Macarons on display.

▲ Custom-made cakes.

GN: What is your favorite dessert? And your favorite fl avor? Kim Yeo-ryeong: Th is is the hardest question to answer. Obviously, my favorite dessert is macarons, and I eat them daily. If I am to choose fl avors, they would be velvet cream cheese and crème brûlée! Th ese fl avors are also consistently the best sellers in the store.

GN: Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we know many businesses are facing hardships. Please tell us how the pandemic has aff ected your business. Kim Yeo-ryeong: Summer is the off -season for dessert shops, even without the second wave of the pandemic that we experienced during the summer of 2020. At that time, the streets were empty, and the number of customers decreased, too, so we were impacted, but it did not have a deep eff ect on the business.

▼ Macarons and the cube cake on display. GN: Th at is a relief to hear. What does the future look like for Th e Plain? Kim Yeo-ryeong: At the top of the list is the expansion of Th e Plain. Since our place is so small, I want to expand it quickly for the sake of effi ciency. Th e second step would be to hire a reliable employee to help since I work around ten hours a day, sometimes 17 hours during busy periods. I would also like to open a second store in the Suwan District soon. But my biggest goal is to take good care of my health and to make delicious macarons for a long time.

GN: Well, we certainly wish you good health for good macarons! Th ank you so much for your time.

Photographs courtesy of Th e Plain.

THE PLAIN (더플레인)

Address: 31 Yesul-gil (17-2 Daeui-dong), Dong-gu, Gwangju 광주 예술길 31번지 (대의동 17-2) Operating Hours: 11:00 a.m. – 7:30 p.m. or until sold out; closed Sundays and Mondays KakaoTalk: @더플레인 Instagram: @_the_plain_ ; @theplain_cake

Melline Galani is a Romanian enthusiast, born and raised in the capital city of Bucharest, who is currently living in Gwangju. She likes new challenges, learning interesting things, and is incurably optimistic. She cannot live without the macarons from Th e Plain and buys them on a weekly basis. Instagram: @melligalanis

By Joe Wabe

If you are a kimchi jjigae (김치찌개) enthusiast, you are defi nitely going to be swept off your feet with this recipe. I think of kimchi-jjim (김치찜) as the “ultimate” version of the stew but with distinct variations: less liquid, sweeter, and with more elaborated fl avors. When it is well made, the kimchi and pork with their buttery texture will melt in your mouth, leaving you dazzled as if sunshine had just fl ooded your soul.

Th e term jjim (찜) originally referred to dishes made in a big steamer, but the method has changed over the years, and in contemporary Korean cuisine, other techniques such as boiling or using a pressure cooker have superseded the old ways, providing a new meaning to jjim for dishes that resemble steaming in appearance. Now, as long as the process of reducing the broth to a thick fl avory sauce is completed, it is good enough to be placed into this “jjim” category.

Among some of the most popular variations of jjim are galbi-jjim (갈비찜), agu-jjim (아구찜), tteokbokki (떡볶이), and jjimdak (찜닭), to mention a few. Two of their common denominators are sweetness and tenderness – traits that make this recipe fl awless for this (very cold) winter.

Joe Wabe is a Gwangju expat who has been contributing to the GIC and the Gwangju News for more than ten years with his work in photography and writing.

(Serves 4) • 400 grams of pork belly • 400 grams of aged kimchi • 1 tablespoon of rice wine • ½ cup of red pepper fl akes • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil • 2 tablespoons of soy sauce • 1 tablespoon of anchovy stock • 2 tablespoons of cooking syrup (or brown sugar) • 1 tablespoon of sesame seeds • 1 tablespoon of minced garlic • 1 green onion (sliced) • 1 medium onion (sliced) • 3 shiitake mushrooms • 2 cups of water

• Before placing the meat and kimchi in a pot, prepare the paste by adding the following to a small container and mixing well into a thick paste: red pepper fl akes, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, sesame seeds, anchovy stock, and syrup. You can help form the desired texture by adding a little bit of water if needed. • In a wide pan with a lid, place the pork fi rst, pour the rice wine over it, and then cover it with kimchi, onions, and mushrooms. • Cover the preparation in the pan with the paste and add water. • Simmer at low heat for about 50 minutes. Do not stir while it is cooking but with a ladle gently scoop the liquid from bottom to top. Th is will allow the distribution of the sauce through the process. • Add the green onions 10 minutes before it is done and – voilà! – soon you will have the perfect kimchi jjim.