The following article, by Edmonds’ own Nancy Leson, is used with permission of our online news partner, The Seattle Times.

While I’m on the subject of Korean food (you’ll pardon me, I’m on a roll), those who’ve been mourning the departure of Shoreline’s Royal Bakery — closed in October — should know it hasn’t gone far. After a decade in the Parkwood Plaza (also home to Old Village Korean Restaurant), the Hwang family has moved their store north to the Boo Han Plaza in Edmonds. Open since December, it now shares a parking lot with a host of area Asian-food favorites including Seattle Deli, Sushi Moto, Than Brothers pho shop and Boo Han Oriental Mart.

Folks like me who prefer their sweets on the savory side should try the sweet bean paste-filled rice balls, or fried vegetable rolls that taste like a cross between a doughnut and a Chinese eggroll (see photo, above). Of course there’s plenty here to assuage your sweet tooth, from fresh-fruit tarts to tiramisu, plus a world of colorful special-occasion cakes available on-the-fly or by special order.

A baker for 40 years, Mr. Hwang is proud of his prowess crafting multi-tiered cakes (ask to see his photographic portfolio). “That’s whipped cream!” he says, eschewing the use of buttercream or (horrors!) shortening to ice his cakes. Hwang learned to bake in Korea and practiced his craft in Paris, Japan, Los Angeles and Chicago before settling in the Northwest. He and his wife are Edmonds residents, and happy to have joined the growing community of Korean ex-pats who live — and work — in South Snohomish County. The new bakery made its debut in December and is open Mondays through Saturdays from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.