Helms Bakery

"Rebooted Helms Bakery is bustling with energy and offers a variety of sweets, savories, and beverages. Recommended items include the Boston creme doughnut, hot sandwiches, soft pretzels, and prepackaged gimbap. It's best to arrive early to manage the crowd." - Eater Staff

"If you live or work around Culver City, congratulations. Your daytime meal options just got a big boost with the reopening of Helms Bakery. The historic bakeshop—located in the same complex as Father’s Office and the massive H.D. Buttercup showroom—has been transformed into a massive one-stop destination with dedicated counters (and separate lines) for pastries and coffee, cakes and pies, and deli counter staples like meatloaf and potato salad.  You’ll also find grab-and-go items in various cold cases and hot trays, including kimbap, mortadella subs, and bacon breakfast burritos. It’s a lot to digest (groan), so if you’re stopping by for breakfast, focus on the front counter with tasty baked goods like mango mascarpone donuts and sugar-dusted morning buns. After 11am, head to the deli area for a solid thick-cut pastrami melt and juicy, salty fried chicken that can be ordered by the bucket. And maybe pick up a loaf of soft sandwich bread—Helms’ original claim to fame—while you’re at it." - Brant Cox

"Los Angeles Times columnist Jenn Harris highlighted 13 things to be excited about at the long-awaited Helms Bakery, including the pastrami sandwich, fridge full of Thrifty ice cream, and of course, the bread. Helms Bakery opened on November 1, 2024, after being in development for 12 years." - Rebecca Roland

"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

"Since 2012, chef Sang Yoon has been steadily working to reopen Helms Bakery, one of Los Angeles's most iconic operations that delivered bread, cookies, cakes, pies, and more to Angelenos in bright yellow and blue trucks resembling bread boxes from 1931 to 1969. The bakery was the official supplier to the 1932 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, and the Olympic rings appear in the bakery’s original logo. Since shuttering in 1969, the Culver City Helms Bakery complex has been repurposed into a mix of furniture stores, a bookstore, and restaurants, including Sang’s gastropub Father’s Office. On November 1, at least part of the massive development will return to baking bread when the rebooted Helms Bakery reopens. The latest iteration of Helm’s Bakery is set in a 14,000-square-foot space with high ceilings, original wood beams, and open skylights. Executive chef Nanor Harboyan, a veteran of Destroyer and large-scale operations at Disney World, oversees all the prepared foods and savory items, while head baker Jacob Fraijo manages breads and pastries. On the menu is a wide array of European- and American-style baked goods, including croissants, cakes, doughnuts, baguettes, and sourdough loaves. Leading up to the bakery’s long-awaited reopening, Sang and the Helms team have teased some of the new baked goods on Instagram, including cherry pie, chicken pot pie, egg salad sandwiches, chocolate croissants, and cookies. A train station-style spit-flap display placed prominently over the open baking areas signals to patrons which baked goods will come out of the oven next. “Everything’s going to be fresh, small batch. If we run out, we replace it,” says Yoon. “When you’re open throughout the day, you don’t want to be looking at the same pastries. You want to have some new reason to come in.” The bakery’s beverage counter will serve coffee roasted on the premises, smoothies, juices, and teas. Prepared meals, salads, and sandwiches like Venice’s Gjusta will be available at a different counter along with a selection of specialty foods at the marketplace. A small heated outdoor patio will give way to more picnic-style tables around the building to accommodate dining on-site. A full-service restaurant named Dinette will open in an adjacent space, serving midcentury American food styled as an upscale meat-and-three menu in 2025. Helms Bakery opens on November 1, 2024, with hours from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Going forward, it’ll start with service Wednesday to Sunday, eventually expanding to an 8 p.m. closure, and then seven days a week." - Matthew Kang