6 days Ago By Juliana Vance
After an impressive run as a pop-up with a staggering waitlist, Kora has finally laid down roots in Sunnyside, Queens with the grand opening of its permanent bakery location. The fan-favored Filipino doughnut shop, once an online-only operation due to restaurant layoffs amid COVID, now welcomes customers at 45-12 Greenpoint Avenue. Crowds have quickly become a familiar scene, with lines forming well before opening time, its founders Kimberly Camara and Kevin Borja revealed in a NY Eater interview.
Launching Kora in March 2020, the entrepreneurial pair started to abruptly gain traction by selling their doughnuts online. Their offerings included a variety of flavors such as halo-halo, ube custard, and specialties inspired by Camara's grandmother. Not only is the physical bakery a direct result of their success, but a successful Kickstarter campaign also provided the boost necessary to open the doors of the brick-and-mortar establishment.
Now, customers can choose from a menu that has expanded to also include savory options, as detailed in a NY Eater article.Kora's rise to popularity isn't only about doughnuts; the shop made waves with their special culinary events as well. On 2022, Valentine’s Day weekend, Kora hosted 'Tsokolate', an intimate cocktail-style dessert tasting event featuring an 8-course menu infused with Filipino flavors.
This event signaled the team's ambition to branch out and showcase their fine dining chops, as they joined forces with notable Filipino American pastry chef Daniel Corpuz and the 'tree-to-bar' chocolate brand Auro Chocolate. “This course was inspired by personal memories during visits to the Philippine countryside: the smell of smoke from open fires and dried coconut husks strewn on the sides of the road. The smoke and delicate creaminess of the milk chocolate complement one another beautifully and nod to the savory elements of chocolate,” Camara told Forbes, describing the Coconut Husk-Smoked Milk Chocolate mousse featured at the event.
The launch of the physical store not only meets the increased consumer demand but establishes Kora as an integral part of Sunnyside, especially after the closure of the neighborhood’s former doughnut mainstay, Alpha Donuts. A stone's throw from where Alpha once stood, Kora has to quickly transform from a popular pop-up to a community staple. Camara and Borja, having refined their culinary skills at establishments like Eleven Madison Park and Union Square Hospitality, chose to stay true to their local fanbase and Camara’s own Queens upbringing.
They dedicate their bakery to becoming synonymous with Sunside's morning routines "until we get comfortable," as Camara stated in an interview with NY Eater.As for future plans, Kora aims to expand beyond pastries and function as an all-day cafe, welcoming customers for breakfast and lunch; sandwiches and savory danishes are on the horizon, Camara hinted in the same NY Eater piece..
