Beloved Chinese bakery to close after 40 years in Minneapolis

By Kirsten Mitchell

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    MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Another Twin Cities staple is saying goodbye.

Keefer Court Bakery & Cafe has anchored the intersection of Cedar and Riverside avenues in Minneapolis for 40 years.

But now, the owners of the Chinese bakery are preparing to hang up their aprons at the end of the year.

There’s no time to waste in Keefer’s kitchen because customers are ready. So ready, in fact, that they line up before they even open.

“Last week my mom goes, ‘These people are crazy. It’s so cold outside, we gotta open now! We gotta open up early and let them in!'” said Michelle Kwan.

Ali Hokanson delayed her trip to Illinois so she could visit her favorite bakery one more time, and bring Chinese buns to her friend.

“It’s his favorite bakery, and he says it has the best ham and egg buns that he’s had in the world, from China, Taiwan, anywhere,” Ali said.

Sunny Kwan opened the family bakery in 1983.

“I put in a lot of hard work at the beginning to stay in the business for 40 years,” Sunny said.

“My dad and my grandpa moved up here from Chicago to start a Chinese bakery knowing that there isn’t any Chinese bakery up here,” Michelle said. “And then from there started a fortune cookie factory and restaurant, and that’s kind of how Keefer grew.”

Sunny and his wife Pauline live above the bakery, where they raised their kids, showing them the importance of hard work at a young age.

“I used to always say, ‘I have a roof over my head, pork buns in my belly and clothes on my back. And so what more can a kid ask?’ And so I really thank my parents for everything that they’ve done for me,” Michelle said.

She took over five years ago, but after the ups and downs of a 40-year business, an opportunity to sell the building was a deal the family couldn’t pass up.

“We just kind of looked at it and I said, ‘Mom, dad, take that and go retire, go relax and enjoy the rest of your life,'” Michelle said.

It will be a well-deserved retirement, and a bittersweet goodbye.

“I’m thankful the loyal customer, they keep coming in for the last 40 years to support us,” Sunny said.

Keefer Court Bakery and Cafe’s final day is New Year’s Eve. They open at 9:30 a.m. – but it’s a good idea to get there early.

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