Today we’d like to introduce you to Klara Han.
Hi Klara, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I loved baking since I was twelve. While other kids asked for clothes or makeup, I asked for baking tools and ingredients for my birthday. As much as I loved baking, I loved desserts even more.
I grew up moving between the U.S., Singapore, and Korea, but Korea shaped me most as a baker. Korean desserts are subtle, intentional, and built on balanced flavors like matcha, injeolmi, mugwort, and black sesame. As a teenager, I spent hours café-hopping in Seoul, not just eating, but studying textures, flavors, and presentation. That’s where my eye for desserts was truly formed.
In 2022, I made the decision to move to Utah on my own. On the surface, it was to finish my degree at the University of Utah. On a deeper level, it was about confronting my identity as a Korean American. I held U.S. citizenship, but had never fully experienced what it meant to live as “American.” However, the first few months of excitement quickly faded away, and loneliness kicked in. I felt out of place and felt like I didn’t belong here. Eventually, I turned to the one thing that always grounded me: baking, specifically Korean desserts, the way I remembered them. Everything began in my small dorm kitchen. I baked weekly, first for myself, then for roommates and friends, and eventually for anyone curious enough to try something new.
That’s how Kyookie began. I launched our Instagram in November 2023 and started weekly bake drops through DMs. Our first drop sold out in three hours. Then one hour. Then fifteen minutes. Customers returned, brought friends, and asked when the next drop would be. Around this time, I met my partner Josh. He believed in what I was building and helped me create a website and streamline online ordering so we could grow sustainably. We began selling at farmers markets in July 2024, where we were consistently one of the busiest booths with long lines. Today, Kyookie partners with local cafés, offering rotating weekly menus of Korean-style desserts, and continues to see strong, repeat demand.
After two years of operating as an online and pop-up concept, we are now working toward opening Kyookie’s first storefront, and Utah’s first Korean dessert café, in Salt Lake City, 2026. With startup costs at an all-time high and traditional loans difficult to access as owners in our early and mid-twenties, we launched a Kickstarter campaign three weeks ago. We have been successfully funded with $45,200, thanks to all of our backers and supporters who believed in this dream as much as we do.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road.
One of the biggest challenges was starting alone in a new state with no existing network. Moving to Utah by myself was exciting, but also isolating. I was navigating college, cultural identity, and the pressure of building something meaningful all at once. There were many moments of doubt, especially in the beginning, when I didn’t know if people would understand or embrace Korean desserts here.
Another major challenge has been the reality of opening a food business in today’s economy. A Korean dessert/bakery café requires a full commercial kitchen, specialized equipment, and strict compliance with regulations, all of which come with high upfront costs. Accessing capital has been difficult as a young founder, especially without generational wealth or prior business ownership. I’ve faced rejections from banks, grants, just because I do not have an existing storefront yet, and even received skepticism from my family who worry about the risk.
On a personal level, balancing a full-time job and growing Kyookie has been exhausting at times. I work a 9-5 corporate marketing job during the week, and bake full time for Kyookie during the weekend. There were long nights spent baking, followed by early mornings at farmers markets, and then work the next day. Burnout was something I had to actively learn to manage.
But each challenge forced me to grow. I learned how to be resourceful, how to listen to feedback, and how to build slowly but intentionally. Instead of rushing into a storefront, we focused on proving demand, refining our products, and building community first. Those struggles shaped how we operate today, thoughtfully, and with a clear long-term vision.
Looking back, the road hasn’t been smooth, but every obstacle has strengthened Kyookie and confirmed for me that this is something worth building.
We’ve been impressed with Kyookie, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Kyookie is Utah’s first Korean dessert café, bringing the flavors, creativity, and cozy café culture of modern Seoul to a local audience. We specialize in Korean-inspired pastries and desserts that you would normally find in trendy cafés in Korea, items like Salt Bread, Matcha S’mores Cookies, Dubai Chewy Balls, Yakgwa Cheesecake Cookies, and Black Sesame Basque Cheesecake. We also highlight distinctive Korean flavors such as Jeju matcha, injeolmi (roasted soybean powder), mugwort, and other ingredients that introduce customers to something both authentic and new.
On the beverage side, we feature Korean specialty drinks including Einspänner-style coffee and Jeju Matcha Cream Lattes, designed to pair beautifully with our pastries.
What truly sets Kyookie apart is that we are creating Utah’s first dedicated Korean dessert café experience, not just a bakery, but a welcoming third space inspired by Korean café culture. Our goal is to create an environment where people want to stay: to read, chat with friends, work, or simply enjoy the atmosphere. The café will feature an eye-catching pastry display table showcasing rotating selections of Korean-style desserts, thoughtfully styled with warm tones and natural textures to create an inviting, Instagram-worthy experience.
We keep our menu dynamic with monthly rotating offerings alongside signature favorites, with the long-term goal of introducing weekly specials to keep customers excited and engaged. A highlight of our program is our fresh salt bread drops twice daily, morning and afternoon, so guests can experience the pastries at their peak quality.
Brand-wise, we are most proud of introducing a new dessert culture to Utah in a way that feels authentic and community-focused. We hope to grow from our Utah roots into a brand that shares Korean café culture with a wider audience across the country and beyond.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
We’d also love to invite readers to follow our journey at @kyookie__, where we’re documenting the entire process of building Kyookie, from concept to opening our storefront. It’s been an exciting and deeply personal journey, and we’re excited to share the behind-the-scenes moments along the way.
We also want to recognize and thank the incredible 248 backers who supported our Kickstarter campaign and helped us raise $45,200 toward opening our doors. Their belief in our vision means everything to us. Kyookie is truly being built with community support, and we can’t wait to welcome everyone into the space we’re creating.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kyookie.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kyookie__/
