Beloved Asian bakery Keefer Court celebrates soft opening at new Eden Prairie location
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — A beloved Asian bakery is being rebooted in a new location after closing down more than a year ago.
Keefer Court celebrated a soft opening Thursday at Eden Prairie's Asia Mall.
Word got out, because the line all morning was at least 45 minutes long.
The bakery left its longtime home in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis at the end of 2022.
They sold their name and recipes to Michael Bui, who's been preparing to reopen in the mall for more than a year.
"I've been going there for 30 years," Bui said. "My kids have been going there. There really isn't anything like it in Minnesota. Usually we have to travel to Chicago, New York or California."
The menu includes several pastries, cookies and various buns filled with meat and cheese.
"I really love Asian desserts like this, and I don't know of another place that sells this kind of stuff," one customer said.
Longtime Keefer fans who visit might recognize Sunny Kwan, the previous owner. He's temporarily out of retirement to carry on his legacy, as he puts it.
"They wanted to keep the product that I expected," Kwan said. "I'm still baking inside."
The official grand opening on Saturday includes celebratory festivities.
"People are excited," Bui said. "I think it brings back a lot of memories. When you're open 40 years, you build a pretty loyal customer base."