- The Korea Times

Jang Bo-in, left, poses with her former boss Tim Whitman at The Alleyway in Gwangju, March 28. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

By Arlo Matisz

"I missed The Alleyway."

Jang Bo-in ― or just Bo to her friends and coworkers ― voiced what so many people in Gwangju have felt for the past two years.

As a former cook at The First Alleyway, she may have felt this more acutely than most, but she did something about it. She rebooted it.

The pandemic served as a catalyst for a massive downturn in the global economy, and while COVID-19 took lives, the government's response to mitigate the spread of the disease left casualties of its own. Comparative health statistics from the last several years tell the tale of an averted health crisis in Korea, but the strict regulations for the service industry as well as the general drop in demand for face-to-face patronage meant such businesses operated for years in the red. A rational business response to repeated losses is to close.

The downtown core of Gwangju still has not recovered. "For Rent" signs seem as common as storefronts. Long-established businesses as well as new ventures sank below the waters of economic loss and failed to resurface. Among those casualties were several foreign-owned ventures, and one would struggle to find such an institution whose loss was more keenly felt than The First Alleyway.

It had been no secret to those close to Tim Whitman, owner and operator of The First Alleyway, that the stress of operating his business reached its breaking point during the pandemic. After 12 years of operation, he shut its doors for the last time in August 2021.

However, today he stands behind the shining new bar of a restaurant with a suspiciously similar name in Gwangju's vibrant Dongmyeong-dong, which has fast become a culinary hub for the city's more innovative restaurants. He's tending the bar at The Alleyway for Bo, his former head cook of seven years.

Tim Whitman, former owner of The First Alleyway, tends bar at The Alleyway, opened by his former head chef, March 28. / Courtesy of Kelly Kim

At 28, Bo still possesses a youthful energy. It could give the impression that she's not long out of culinary school. That culinary energy formed even earlier.

"In middle school, I liked to bake things," she said. "Cakes, cookies. I could make something at that young age. I'd bake for myself and my family. They liked it. My mother paid for the ingredients and bought me an oven. I don't know why I wanted to bake. I just started. I loved all of it."

When asked if she used her high school culinary skills at later jobs, she laughed. "No, I didn't really use the skills. We learned how to get food preparation licenses. I have Korean food, Chinese food, Japanese food and pastry licenses. Not the Western one though. At the time, the Western license was so difficult."

The irony of not acquiring that one license for the type of restaurant she is now opening is less surprising after learning about her career path.

"My first job was at a mart pizza shop and then a buffet," she said. "Then I went to Canada through a government program for an overseas job placement. I worked at Boston Pizza. I felt pizza was connected to me. Then I came back to Korea and met Tim, and he had a pizza restaurant, so I asked him for a job."

The Alleyway opens its door in a new location in Gwangju, now run by former head cook of The First Alleyway, March 28. / Courtesy of Kelly Kim

It would now seem the student has become the master. While some would balk at working for someone nearly half their age, Tim describes his role with a touch of trademark humor. "I'm going to be guiding," he said. "I'm trying to help Bo, and to transition old customers to the new location and new business. I'll be helping out at the bar. I'm just the old adviser, like the guru on a mountain."

When asked what advice he'd given Bo that he wished he'd been given before running a restaurant, Tim joked "Don't do it," before expressing his confidence in her. "She was very helpful while we ran The First Alleyway. She made sure the kitchen ran well. She knew what she had to do already. It's just a case of understanding the little details of getting your equipment, getting your space organized and deciding the menu. A lot of challenges."

Bo elaborated on the challenges of going from head cook to owner. "Before, if we decided something, I didn't spend money," she said. "Now I spend my money to do something. Everything costs money. And everything is not in my control. Everything feels outside of my control: the construction, equipment orders, furniture."

The Alleyway is significantly smaller than its predecessor, but what made it popular is still going to be here especially the beloved poutine. Bo defended the inclusion of poutine with an air of inevitability. "Why poutine? Everyone wants it!" she said. "I'm not actually a poutine person, but everyone asks about it, so I didn't have a choice. I had to do it!"

She listed the slightly smaller menu. "Sandwiches, pizza, starters like salads, wings, chicken tenders and fries. It will be the same food. More focus on food than alcohol. We won't be open late. Before you drink, meet here and eat, maybe have some beer. There is beer and liquor. And nice coffee!"

When asked what he wishes he'd had at the old restaurant, Tim pointed to the hulking new coffee apparatus. "The espresso machine to make nice coffee," he said. "I love drip coffee, but a good high-quality americano might prop me up enough."

There will also be desserts prepared by another local entrepreneur who has established a loyal following.

But don't expect sweetened pizza. Bo is adamant about this. "I was tired of sweet pizza here," she said. "I wanted to make salty pizza! Our pizza is not sweet."

Asked what he misses about the restaurant business, Tim answered quickly. "I miss meeting people," he said. "Hanging out with old people, and meeting new people. Talking about Gwangju. The old Alleyway was the teaching community, but it was also the military, Italian engineers for Samsung, Dutch engineers for the Universiade."

Asked what he didn't miss, Tim responded even faster. "The stress," he said. "Especially during the COVID years. People resistant to following the rules, to checking in. Part of why we quit was the pandemic. Part of why Bo can reopen now is because it's over."

On why she made this business venture, Bo recalled the recent passing of Michael Schroeder, the previous bartender of The First Alleyway, late last year. "When I went to Mike's funeral, I felt I missed The Alleyway," she said. "I hadn't been thinking that, but when I was at the funeral, seeing the friends chatting, eating, and drinking, that felt like The Alleyway, and that made me want to do it again."

So she did.

Photos hanging on the wall at The Alleyway show Mike Schroeder, a former bartender at The First Alleyway who passed away recently, in the upper left photo, and Michael Simning, founder of The First Alleyway who passed away in 2014, in the right photo. / Courtesy of Arlo Matisz

On Tuesday, March 28, The Alleyway held its soft opening. Over the course of the evening, the space filled with customers both old and new. Local professor Jeremy Bissett was eager to surprise his family, longtime fans of the original. "My kids love this place, especially Bo, Tim not so much, and when they see this place, they're going to go absolutely nuts, because they still talk about this place every day."

Artist Jen Lee, who created a "Last Supper" portrait of The First Alleyway's closing, was thrilled. "It's nice to have it back. I really missed it."

Gwangju News editor William Urbanski said, "It's just like coming home."

Miky-Lee Urbanski agreed. "This is an amazing place, I love it."

The world moves on, and not often kindly, but for now, in Gwangju, people have something that they thought was gone. They can enjoy the company of loved ones and raise a glass to absent friends.

Visit fb.com/thefirstalleyway for more information.