The production team behind Coupang Play’s variety show ‘Bonjour Bakery’ recently opened up about the reactions from the seniors in Gochang and the special power of “harmless” entertainment.
Meeting with the press on May 27 at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, the ‘Bonjour Bakery’ crew shared, “We heard that the seniors gather at the village hall every week to watch the show together. They especially love it when their own parts appear on screen!”
‘Bonjour Bakery’ is a healing baking variety show set in Korea’s first “senior dessert cafe” located in a quiet rural village. It is a place where seniors, who know the true taste of life, share warmth and comfort with the bakery staff. The chef team, featuring Cha Seung-won and Lee Ki-taek, takes on the challenge of French baking, while the hall team, led by CEO Kim Hee-ae and barista Kim Seon-ho, welcomes the seniors.
Since its premiere on May 8, the show has gained popularity through word-of-mouth, being praised as a “calm and harmless variety show.” The crew also shared the actual reactions from the residents of Gochang.
Writer Kim Ran-ju mentioned, “The head of the women’s association sent us photos showing the villagers gathered to watch the broadcast. They found it incredibly fascinating and wait for the show every week at the village hall.”
PD Park Geun-hyung added, “The seniors said they love the scenes where they appear the most. They were very delighted that they got more screen time than they expected.”
They also discussed the power of ‘Bonjour Bakery’ as a “harmless variety show.” Writer Kim explained, “I believed that variety shows don’t necessarily need to have a high barrier to entry. I felt it was important for viewers to indirectly experience emotions they might not have encountered in their own lives.”
She further explained, “The key was for the audience to experience and wonder, ‘I wonder how that feels,’ while watching the program.”
PD Park shared, “I wanted this to be a program where understanding between generations naturally seeps in. I hoped it would be an opportunity for the older generation to understand the younger one, and for the younger generation to understand their parents’ generation.”
He added, “It’s a delicate subject, but we live in an era often called the ‘age of great hatred.’ I wanted this content to make people think of those around them once more.”
The conversation then turned to the atmosphere on set. Writer Kim recalled, “This was the first time I’ve been on a set with so little trouble. Not a single person raised their voice.”
She revealed, “Even the director, who is usually very blunt, cried during filming. I was especially surprised when he mentioned that he wanted to visit with his mother.”
PD Park confessed, “The sound director, who previously worked on ‘You Quiz on the Block,’ said it reminded him of the days when they used to film on the streets. For me, just watching the communication between people was healing.”
Writer Kim added, “While making ‘Bonjour Bakery,’ I realized that the happiness of seniors isn’t as grand as one might think. They were truly happy even with small experiences.”
Coupang Play’s ‘Bonjour Bakery’ is released every Friday at 4 PM.
