Inside Helms Bakery in Culver City, Sang Yoon’s Sunny New Magnum Opus - Eater LA
"Helms Bakery, one of the most anticipated bakery cafes in Los Angeles history, has opened. First announced in 2012, the Sang Yoon operation opened to the public in the Culver City Helms Bakery complex on November 1, 2024. Though restaurant construction delays are nothing new in Los Angeles (and its sub-cities like Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Culver City), a process mired in red tape, permitting, and regulatory issues, a 12-year delay might be a record in Southern California. History is no stranger to Helms Bakery, once a mighty wholesale baking operation that spanned tens of thousands of square feet in two production facilities from 1931, the year it opened, to 1969, when the inexorable pull of supermarkets finally led the bakery to closure. Helms Bakery, a direct-to-consumer distributor that delivered from iconic yellow-and-blue trucks all across the region, served American-style bread, doughnuts, cakes, pies, and cookies, dishes that will continue to be served at the new Sang Yoon version. However, while the names and branding are similar, Yoon, a fine dining chef, was always going to put his more detail-oriented approach to the bakery-cafe model. Previously the executive chef of Michael’s, Yoon made a name selling craft beer and burgers at Father’s Office, eventually landing to a top spot on the Los Angeles Times 101 with his Southeast Asian restaurant Lukshon (which has remained dormant since the pandemic). Part of the reason for the decade-plus of delays was the initial partnership with former Spago chef Sherry Yard. Yard was no longer involved with the project by the time heavy construction began around the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which created further delays and added substantial costs. By early 2024, most of the major construction was completed, but the 14,000-square-foot bakery still needed to staff up, train, and break in the brand-new ovens. Most of the dough is made on a second-floor mezzanine with windows that look out onto the main floor. The cooking spaces are all somewhat exposed so that visitors can see the action. The exposure creates a compelling environment to see everything being made by hand. The center of the space showcases various nostalgic and small-batch products, knick-knacks, and souvenirs, as well as specialty foods meant to be taken out. To the left of the entrance, a large refrigerated case has hundreds of bottles and cans of soft drinks (with beer and wine to come). Ice cream pints from Thrifty to McConnell’s to Craig’s Vegan contain a range of pre-packed flavors. Just beyond the refrigerators, heated shelves offer breakfast sandwiches and burritos. To the right of the room sits a coffee bar with house-roasted beans, croissants, muffins, and other pastries. And to the far left, a savory station with pre-made salads like Whole Foods or Erewhon, offering almost two dozen ready-to-take dishes. Lunch service starts at 11 a.m., with things like meatloaf, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables, rotisserie chicken, fried chicken, pastrami sandwiches, and more available to order. At the other corner, diners can find a wide selection of pies by the slice, cakes, cookies, sourdough country loaves, baguettes, cheese, charcuterie, and rolls. There are too many things to try on one visit, let alone a week. Yoon and the team’s engines will churn new items every day throughout service, so that diners may never get bored. That team, led by executive chef Nanor Harboyan and head baker Jacob Fraijo, is one of the best Yoon says he’s assembled. Eventually, when things settle down at the bakery, Yoon will open a standalone restaurant called Dinette in the adjacent space with a full bar and a mid-century-inspired menu. Expect classic American dinners like steak Diane served with one’s choice of side dishes. Yoon says he was inspired by luxury cruise liners and first-class airplane seating where finished dishes are served tableside from carts. For now, Angelenos can descend into Helms Bakery for all manner of baked sweets and savories, as well as premade and prepared-to-order dishes, and caffeinated, bottled, and canned drinks. It’s all ready to enjoy out in the world or on the patio under the radiant Southern California sun. The decade might not be the 1930s or the 1960s or the 2010s, but Helms Bakery is finally, actually, open." - Matthew Kang
