It’s not often that folks will cross a river for a croissant, but Caroline Yi had a loyal following of Virginians making that pilgrimage after she opened her first Sunday Morning Bakehouse in Bethesda’s Pike & Rose development in 2017.
Happily, the commute just got shorter. In September, Yi opened a second location of her bakery in the luxe Heming building (1796 Chain Bridge Road) in Tysons, where the enticements include a fairytale assortment of French pastries, brioche doughnuts, macarons and layer cakes, plus a café menu featuring all-day breakfast sandwiches, quiche, granola bowls and artisanal sourdough toasts.
House-made syrups find their way into barista drinks featuring La Colombe coffee, and weekends bring cocktails such as Aperol spritzes and chai martinis.
Forgoing culinary school, Yi learned her craft on the job. She started out as “the biscuit bitch” (her words) at D.C.’s now-shuttered A Baked Joint, then headed to New York City to learn lamination—the tricky technique behind her cult-status croissants—at Supermoon Bakehouse on the Lower East Side. “With hand lamination, you need the butter to stay as cold as possible to get those flaky layers,” she says. “I would ice my hands until they were numb so I wouldn’t melt the butter in the dough.”
Playful and ever on-trend, Yi and her staff like to keep things interesting with limited and seasonal offerings. (Recent sell-outs have included pumpkin-pie croissants and Dubai chocolate doughnuts.) “We like to hop on crazes and be a part of pop culture in that way,” says the entrepreneur. “I’m Korean, and sweet red bean is a big Asian flavor. We might try something with that next.”
As the Hanukkah sufganiyot and Christmas peppermint mochas give way to thoughts of Valentine’s Day, watch for heart-shaped treat boxes and romantic desserts for two, available for preorder.