On January 19th Marni, Jennifer and I had a Studio M lunch and gift exchange at Joli Kobe bakery & Cafe.
If you live in Atlanta, Dallas or Nashville, then you’ve probably heard of Kobe Steaks, founded by Katsuhiko “Vic” Watanabe in 1975. Watanabe envisioned a French-Japanese bakery like the ones in Tokyo and in other major U.S. cities. “It’s a real cultural mix, and we wanted to bring it here.”… and so, he opened Joli Kobe…. “Joli,” as in the French for “pretty,” and “Kobe” for the Japanese city he is from.
From the Joli Kobe website, here are more delicious details:
The bakery started turning out croissants to chocolate eclairs in 1985 before closing in 2001 for renovation and expansion. Now at twice the size of the original bakery and with a large-scale pastry-baking kitchen downstairs, Joli Kobe, run by chef François Collet, is filled with traditional French pastries and desserts from mousses to madeleines. The bakery employs three pastry chefs and three bakers.
The bakery started turning out croissants to chocolate eclairs in 1985 before closing in 2001 for renovation and expansion. Now at twice the size of the original bakery and with a large-scale pastry-baking kitchen downstairs, Joli Kobe, run by chef François Collet, is filled with traditional French pastries and desserts from mousses to madeleines. The bakery employs three pastry chefs and three bakers.
Glass cases lining one side of the shop are home to largely French delicacies — beautiful fig tarts, rich gateaux covered in thick curls of dark chocolate, tiny pumpkins made of marzipan. It’s not unusual to see Japanese families browsing in the bakery, the children clamoring and pointing out treats: “I’d like that one!”
The three of us enjoyed a lunch and a gift exchange.
Marni gave both Jennifer and me a handmade ornament from Glak Love, LLC. The art inside the glass ornament was created using a technique called Celluloidic Artistry™. Developed by artist and Principal Designer Angelyn Pass, Celluloidic Artistry™ is an original method of deconstructing exposed film negatives and using them as a medium to create fine art and jewelry designs. To help manufacture the collection, Glāk Love has formed a partnership with the International Women’s House, an Atlanta-based shelter for women and children who are victims of domestic violence. Glāk Love offers residents opportunities within the shelter and donates an additional portion of proceeds from every jewelry item sold directly back to the IWH.
