40 Local Entrepreneurs
The Plain
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
February 2021
COMMUNITY
Taste Beyond Expectations
I
had 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 first macaron from The Plain. I will never forget that day. I chose a crème brûlée macaron and was speechless after tasting it. The Plain has, by far, the best macarons I have ever had and now I am their devoted customer. They 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 benefit 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 first 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 find my current store through a friend.
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Interview by Melline Galani To tell you the truth, there are no big difficulties in running the store except, maybe, the space. As the store became better known over time, the space proved to be insufficient compared to the increased amount of work, so I would say this part is the most difficult 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 The Plain been around? Kim Yeo-ryeong: Before opening the store, I taught English at a language school because my major was English. The 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: Thank you deeply for considering The Plain macarons to be delicious. I learned how to make macarons first 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 often. We are trying to put not only natural flavors 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: The recipes we use today are The Plain’s signature. After taking baking classes, I tried many variations at home and adjusted the recipe. The macaron crust is called coque and is really tricky to make well. I used to practice making it dozens of times a day. I
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