Belle's Bread one of six family-owned businesses at Japan Marketplace
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A Columbus bakery is just one of six family-owned businesses that make up a local marketplace offering all things Japanese.
Takashi Takenaka grew up in a small village in Japan before immigrating to America in 1972. Since then, he's opened up the six businesses that make up Japan Marketplace at Kenny Centre Mall off Henderson Road. Those businesses include Akai Hana, J Avenue Japanese Collections, Sushi Ten, Tensuke Market, Tensuke Ramen, and Belle's Bread -- a French-inspired Japanese bakery managed by his daughter Mika Lecklider.
"He didn't start out with that idea," Lecklider said. "He just wanted to open a restaurant at first, that's all he really had on his mind. But I think his nature is to always expand, that's his passion and his expertise. He's really good at seeing the big picture."
Belle's Bread, opened in 2011, is the most recent addition to the Japan Marketplace lineup, which also includes a cultural center. In a recent story on Food & Wine magazine's website about the top ten U.S. cities for bakeries, the Japanese bakery was given a shoutout.
"And you won't just find Midwestern classics: head to Belle's Bread for a loaf of house-made Japanese sweet bread," the story said.
Lecklider said that Belle's top menu items are its cakes and breads. Other favorites include authentic French croissants, curry donuts, sweet red bean rolls and sugar strawberry cake. All baked goods on the menu are baked fresh and in-house by a team of 20 bakers. The menu also features drinks, ice cream, parfaits, shaved ice and more.
The bakery's customer base is a diverse crowd, Lecklider said, which she was proud to say her staff reflects.
"We have people from all parts of the world because they like the European style, and the Asian style, less sweat treats," Lecklider said. "We have a lot of different nationalities within our employees, which I think is really cool. At one point, I had a map of the world and everyone put a tag on where they were from. … Being international is really interesting."
The family-run operation goes beyond just the father-daughter pair, Takenaka's wife and Lecklider's mother Francoise handles the accounting at Belle's.
"My parents always say they're going to work together as long as they can," Lecklider said. "They will both retire together because they like working together. My dad does not want to be here without her. She's kind of like his soundingboard."
Running a business together as a family gives Belle's an advantage, according to Lecklider.
"My dad can really trust that our intentions, we all want the same thing," Lecklider said. "We're not in it for personal gain, because this is like our baby. I think if you have a good relationship with your family, it's a leg up for sure."