A big change in the Mechanical Engineering building occurred this semester as the open spaced lobby, where students sat around to have meetings, has changed into a pleasant café. This new café named Handel and Gretel has just opened a few weeks ago and seems busy settling into the KAIST society. The new café livened up the atmosphere of the building and is drawing more people into the building. To hear more, The KAIST Herald met the manager of Handel and Gretel in KAIST, Jeong Lyul Park.
Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hello, my name is Jeong Lyul Park and I am the manager of Handel and Gretel in KAIST. As you can see my job is to manage the overall duty of Handel and Gretel here in KAIST.
Please introduce Handel and Gretel.
Here in Handel and Gretel, we specialize in Ciabatta sandwiches and Pellini coffee. For sandwiches, we use special bread that does not contain milk, butter, or sugar. The bread we use for the sandwichs is made with water, flour, natural yeast, natural salt, and olive oil. We use these ingredients and ferment the dough for 72 hours. Therefore, the sandwich we make is not like the other instant fast foods. The sandwich we provide is very healthy and should be considered as a meal rather than a snack. As we use handmade bread, the Ciabatta sandwiches will be enough to make students full even though the size can be small. In addition, we provide Pellini coffee, which is one of the top three Italian coffee brands. We use coffee beans that are directly imported from Italy. I can proudly say that our motto is “To provide good quality coffee at a reasonable price.”
Why did you open the café inside the KAIST campus?
I have always been interested in introducing our brand Handel and Gretel to students and school faculties. Therefore, the offer from KAIST to start a café here was a chance for me to actually present our brand to college students.
What menus are popular among KAIST students?
For beverages, KAIST students prefer our yogurt Ghiaccio, but the bestseller is blueberry flavor. Also, the Americano is a widely popular menu for all students. In the case of sandwiches, there are no clear preferences shown yet. I think students are trying out different kinds of sandwiches for now. I am sure it will take some time for students to show clear preferences because students are still curious about the different tastes and are in the process of choosing their favorite.
What is the recommended menu for the upcoming December and for chilly weathers?
As the weather is getting cold, I would like to recommend hot beverages. Our black tea latte and green tea latte are suitable. Despite the cold, the strawberry-banana Ghiaccio and the yogurt Ghiaccio are still popular in the winter. As for the sandwich, I strongly recommend our own chicken teriyaki sandwich.
Are there any last comments for the KAIST students?
I know that it has not been long since we joined the KAIST community. We are trying our best to provide the best service and food, but irrelevant to our intensions, we can make a few mistakes. I hope students and customers in KAIST kindly understand that we are trying to make improvements and enjoy our company as a new café in KAIST.