A Breath of Fresh Air! Coupang Play’s ‘Bonjour Bakery’ Brings Healing Vibes to the Screen [Interview 1]

Coupang Play’s ‘Bonjour Bakery’ is a heartwarming baking variety show set in Korea’s first ‘senior dessert cafe’ in a quiet rural village. It’s a place where seniors who have tasted the depths of life and a bakery crew who know the taste of happiness share sweet comfort and warmth.

While Coupang Play has previously gained buzz for more provocative content like ‘SNL Korea’, ‘Bonjour Bakery’ is a total 180. It’s a mild, harmless, and purely healing show.

Writer Kim Ran-ju explained, “Netflix also started with strong content but has recently shifted toward variety or healing genres. I think OTT platforms are trending that way. After focusing on OTT-style content, different colors are naturally emerging. In that sense, our program was a challenge for us to try content that a wider audience can enjoy.”

Having worked on TV hits like ‘1 Night 2 Days’ and ‘Three Meals a Day’, Writer Kim Ran-ju shared her nerves about jumping into the OTT world: “I was more nervous than with any other program. Since it’s on an OTT platform rather than airing in real-time, I was quite anxious, but as the episodes aired, I’m relieved to feel a positive response.”

‘Bonjour Bakery’ takes a mild approach, focusing more on the elderly residents of Gochang than the celebrity cast.

Writer Kim Ran-ju revealed, “From the start, I wanted the grandmothers and grandfathers to be the main characters. I was careful to make sure they didn’t just become supporting roles for the actors. The writers actually lived in the village for two or three months. We let them know a bakery for seniors was coming and looked deeply into their lives. I felt they should be the protagonists and that their stories deserved plenty of space. I believed that if we only made slight changes, it wouldn’t be impactful, so we focused on their stories first.”

She added, “Once the actors adapt, from episodes 4 and 5 onwards, their stories start to emerge. You’ll see them getting closer and even sharing small worries about acting. I edited the beginning this way to establish our unique color, so please hang in there and wait for those moments!”

PD Park Geun-hyung explained, “Because the focus is on the seniors, I was more curious about what happened once they left the shop rather than just the stories inside. We followed the stories of those who took their treats to-go to show exactly who the heart of the show is.” Writer Kim Ran-ju added, “Capturing the seniors’ stories is truly a challenge, but we decided to be patient and persevere. I hope that sincerity reaches the viewers.”

When asked what kind of feedback prompted the plea for patience, Writer Kim Ran-ju laughed, “Recently, I’ve been hearing that it’s healing, but it was a bit different at the start.” PD Park Geun-hyung added a laugh by recalling, “Around episode 6, Kim Seon-ho asks the seniors, ‘Has word gotten out that our place tastes bad? Why are there no customers?’ It felt a bit like that in the beginning.”