In June 2025, JinJu Patisserie scaled the mountain: The warm-hearted neighborhood bakery, which had opened on North Williams Avenue six years before, won the prestigious James Beard Outstanding Bakery award. Never mind its lack of indoor seating, or its stacks of boxes everywhere. What mattered was inside of three gleaming bakery cases: stellar croissants the size of a Buick, fancy cakes, and artistic chocolate bonbons. It was already popular, but post-Beard lines snaked around the corner. Shortly after doors opened, JinJu looked like the siege of Stalingrad. In a mere two hours, 1,000 baked goods were snatched up, not a crumb in the house. Owners Jin Caldwell and Kyurim “Q” Lee worked 15-hour days just to keep up.
Then, poof, it was over. On December 28, six months after nabbing a Beard medal, JinJu closed. Its lease had ended, but in reality it had outgrown the tiny kitchen. Wails of grief rocketed around the city. Its final weekend, adherents waited hours in the cold for a final taste. But it wasn’t the end; Caldwell and Lee said they planned to return, just somewhere else. Every citizen, it seemed, sprung into action to find a new home that would keep JinJu in the neighborhood. Customers, real estate agents—even politicians, as Caldwell tells the story—sent ideas and listings.
Now, the wait is over. JinJu Patisserie 2.0 had its first test-drive over the weekend at 3494 N Williams Ave, six blocks south of the original space. Caldwell reports that customers were lined up by 7am. When it officially “soft opens” October 21, hours will be 8am to 2pm Wednesday–Sunday…