Mr. Sungkuk Cho
Co-Founder and CEO of That’s Coffee Factory
Diplôme de Pâtisserie 2023
Why have you chosen Le Cordon Bleu-Sookmyung Academy to learn Pastry?
I have been running a café for 12 years, but since a few years ago I felt selling only coffees had limits. So I decided to learn bakery that could be enjoyed with coffees. In the beginning I started by making 64 layer Danish breads, and the more I tried to make different products, the more I fell into baking. Looking at market trends, since a few years ago there was an increase in gâteaux de voyage and desserts shops that I got more interested in pastry. Then I looked for a school where I could learn pastry professionally, and I chose Le Cordon Bleu.
How did you start to run a café ? Is there a reason why you got into coffee or in the café field?
When I was in university, I ran a café near my college with my parents and that’s when I fell into coffees. I gained experience by participating in competitions related to coffee, and after graduating I opened the café that I am operating now, and I’ve been running it for a long time. Coffee is really a special beverage for me. Every day, a different environment and factors affect the taste of coffee beans so adjusting its condition is always a new challenge. Through these challenges, I discover various aspects of coffee and fall more into them.
How did the experience of completing the pastry program help in operating the café?
Having gained expertise not only in coffee but also in the dessert field has allowed me to develop new products with my employees in bakery and pastry, and add new desserts and baked goods to the existing menu. Thankfully our clients recognized our efforts and troubles, and that has been very rewarding to me as well as to my employees. Also more and more people recognize that a Le Cordon Bleu graduate is operating this business by seeing the certification and the alumni sticker that I have put up in the shop, which makes me proud every second I work.
Could you explain how the knowledge and techniques you learned during the program are reflected in your café menu or in the confection of pastry products?
I have launched not only desserts but also new products such as jams made with French pastry technique using pectin, cream lattes using crème patissière, and cherry cokes with compotes. Especially the cream latte using the crème patissière is continuously being improved in terms of storage and management due to the characteristic of putting egg yolk and heated milk. The techniques and the knowledge on different ingredients I gained in pastry classes are coming in useful in various ways concerning the café’s menu.
If you have any memorable moments or lessons from the pastry program, could you share it with us?
The most memorable moment was when I had to make galettes for the basic pastry exam. I brought back the galettes I’ve made home, and my son who came to meet me, recognized them immediately when he saw the box and shouted out “Oh! Galettes! I will have some galettes too!”. Apparently he knew about it because in one of the children’s book that he enjoyed reading, they were talking about the galettes that the French used to eat to celebrate Epiphany. He looked for the porcelain figurine in the Galettes and asked me “where is the fève figurine? Dad, are you a chef?”. That is the moment that I remember the most. Seeing that even my little child knew what kind of work his dad was doing, this made me attend the pastry classes with more responsibility.
Can you share a special memory from the Academy?
It is when I had to make a speech at the graduation ceremony as the representative of the graduates. When they asked me to make a speech, I felt a lot of pressure since I wasn’t sure if I was worth representing the graduates, but I was thankful to have been given the time to conclude this course that lasted 9 months. While writing the representative speech, I looked back on the past 9 months, and I suddenly remembered the goal I had when I was starting the program. During the 9 months, I really wanted to do well and be chosen as the “student of the month”, which I have been in July, and I was so happy to have achieved that goal. While making the speech, I was sadden by the fact that I won’t be seeing my colleagues, chefs, and assistants anymore. Now that I think of it, these are the moments I remember most.
Did you encounter any difficulties while running the Café? How did you overcome them?
Most of the cafés near Haengjusanseong Fortress where my shop is also located, give view to the Han River, and usually those who visit are the ones who want to take some break from the crowded city. The café that I run does not have a view on the Han River, so there were many who left just after looking around. Of course in a way I understand the clients who chose not to stay but it was still a bit of disappointment.
If I cannot bring the Han River into our shop, I thought I had to work out to find a way to attract the clients’ interest in our shop itself. We used plenty of good ingredients to improve the taste and the quality, and made the most out of the trees and the forest surrounding the shop to make a healing spot to enjoy good coffee and dessert in the middle of the nature. These limits and difficulties were one of the reason that made me learn pastry, currently we have overcome the lack of view on the Han River, and we are very busy running this special healing spot for our customers.
Do you have any advice for those who are running their café or who are planning to launch their business?
I think when you put effort and hard work even once more on something, the clients know. For this reason, approach things with sincerity and truthfully even if it is additional work when you are tired, and even if it is trivial.
What are your future goals and plans?
I would like to make a cake that is tastier, which offers a more harmonious taste when it is eaten with coffee, than by itself. My upcoming goal is to run a practical class on coffee and dessert combined, which are my main focuses, for those who are interested in opening their own café.
To me, Le Cordon Bleu is?
Running a shop is like running a long-distance marathon. When you run a marathon, the important thing is to run fast to win, but what is more important is to pace yourself to finish the race safe. Running a café is a daily task that takes place in a busy life and, offering a satisfactory experience to customers is sometimes not easy.
However, even during these busy days, taking the pastry course at Le Cordon Bleu has been something special beyond just learning. During classes I could not only fully immerse myself on the process of making the products, but also it has been a time of reorganization, and the times I have spent working as a team with my colleagues gave strength for a new driving force. That is why I remember Le Cordon Bleu as a precious place that gave me relaxation and motivation.
