I’m excited to introduce you to KORIELA Bakery and the incredible woman behind it, Ifat. Her journey from Israel to Cincinnati, along with her love of food, family, and hospitality, is the heart of everything she creates. After years of bringing her delicious food to weddings, celebrations, and events throughout Cincinnati, Ifat is now creating a place of her own where the community can gather, enjoy amazing food, and feel at home. And on a personal note, I may be a little biased, but the cutest server at KORIELA is my daughter, Hailey! Be sure to stop by, say hello, and experience the warmth and flavors that make KORIELA so special.
I sat down with Ifat to learn more about her journey, KORIELA, and what she hopes to bring to the Hyde Park community.
Tell us a little about yourself and what inspired you to open KORIELA in Hyde Park.
I’m originally from Israel, and food has always been much more than a profession for me. It is how I connect with people, celebrate, comfort, and bring people together. I trained professionally in culinary arts and pastry, including at Le Cordon Bleu, but so much of who I am as a chef also comes from growing up in Israel — surrounded by Mediterranean flavors, family meals, fresh breads and pastries, and a culture where hospitality is simply a way of life.
KORIELA is also deeply personal to me. My maiden name is Koriel, and “Koriela” was the affectionate name my father used for my mother. When I was looking for a name for the business, I wanted something that carried my family and my story with it. KORIELA felt like home. After moving to Cincinnati with my husband and our five children, I began building KORIELA through catering, private celebrations, weddings, community events, and corporate events. For years, I brought KORIELA to other people’s tables. Eventually, I dreamed of creating a table of my own — a physical home where people wouldn’t have to wait for a special event to experience my food and hospitality.
Opening KORIELA in Hyde Park is that dream becoming real.
What can customers expect when they walk through your doors?
I want people to feel welcomed before they even decide what they’re going to order. They’ll find fresh pastries and breads, desserts, great coffee, and Mediterranean and Israeli-inspired food, all made with care. But I hope they also find something that isn’t written on the menu — warmth. In Israel, when someone comes into your home, you feed them. You sit with them. You make room for them. There is always something else coming to the table.
That feeling is at the heart of KORIELA.
I want the space and the food to feel beautiful and special, but never intimidating. Come for coffee and a pastry, pick up something for your family, meet a friend, or simply sit for a little while. You are welcome.
Your culinary journey includes Le Cordon Bleu and training with master pastry chef Hans Bartla. How does that influence your menu?
My professional training gave me discipline, precision, technique, and a deep respect for ingredients. French pastry is incredibly precise. Every detail matters — temperature, texture, balance and presentation. My Israeli background brings something different: bold flavors, generosity, color, spontaneity and warmth. KORIELA is where those two parts of me meet. You might see a classical French technique in a pastry or dessert, while the flavors and ingredients tell a Mediterranean story. That combination has become my identity as a chef and ultimately the identity of KORIELA: “Where French Pastry Meets Mediterranean Hospitality.”
How do your Israeli roots inspire the breads, pastries, and dishes you create?
They are part of almost everything I make. Israeli food itself is a beautiful mix of cultures, traditions and generations. I grew up with food at the center of family life — fresh bread on the table, bourekas, salads, vegetables, tahini, herbs, spices and desserts. Food was never just something you ate; it was something you shared. Those memories influence my flavors, but even more importantly, they influence the way I serve people. For me, Israeli hospitality means there should always be enough food, always something fresh coming from the kitchen, and always room for one more person at the table. That is the feeling I want to bring to Cincinnati.
Do you have a signature pastry or menu item that first-time visitors shouldn’t miss?
This might be the hardest question for a chef! If it’s your first visit, I would tell you to start with one of our Israeli bourekas and then choose something sweet from the pastry case — preferably with a good coffee. I love that combination because it tells the KORIELA story in one visit: something unmistakably Mediterranean next to something influenced by classical French pastry. And then, of course, you have to come back because there is always something else to try.
Why did you choose Hyde Park as the home for KORIELA?
Hyde Park felt right because it has such a strong sense of neighborhood and community. I didn’t want KORIELA to be somewhere people only visited for a special occasion. I wanted to become part of their everyday lives — the place you stop for coffee in the morning, meet a friend, pick up something for the weekend, or walk into and know that someone will recognize you. There is something very special about a true neighborhood business. Cincinnati became home for my family, and now Hyde Park has become home for KORIELA.
What makes KORIELA different from other bakeries and cafés in Cincinnati?
KORIELA is difficult to put into one category, and I think that is exactly what makes us different. We are a bakery and café, but our story began with catering and hospitality — creating food and experiences for weddings, celebrations, community gatherings and meaningful moments in people’s lives. And culturally, KORIELA lives between two worlds. There is the precision and elegance of French pastry, and there is the warmth, flavor and generosity of an Israeli table.
You can come in for a beautiful pastry and coffee and, at the same time, discover flavors that might remind someone of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, or their grandmother’s kitchen — or introduce someone else to those flavors for the very first time. That is KORIELA: French technique, Mediterranean soul, and Israeli hospitality.
Beyond great food, what kind of experience do you hope to create for your guests?
I want people to feel seen and welcomed. Some of my favorite moments are when customers begin as strangers and then become familiar faces. I learn what they like, hear about their families, see them bring a friend the next time, and suddenly they are part of the KORIELA family. Great food can bring someone through the door, but hospitality is what makes them want to return. I never want KORIELA to feel like just a transaction. I want it to feel like you have been welcomed to my table.
What are you most excited about now that you are open?
Honestly, seeing people inside KORIELA. For so long, this place existed first as an idea and then as plans, decisions, work, and a lot of dreaming. Now I can stand there and watch someone walk through the door, order a coffee, discover a food they’ve never tried before, bring their children, meet a friend, or return because they loved something they had the first time. After years of bringing KORIELA to people through catering and events, people can finally come to us. Seeing this dream become a real place filled with people is incredibly meaningful. And the most exciting part is knowing that we are only at the beginning.
What would you like to say to the Hyde Park community as you welcome them to KORIELA?
Come hungry — and come as you are. KORIELA was created with a lot of love, a lot of hard work, and a belief that food has an incredible ability to connect people who may come from completely different places. Cincinnati welcomed my family and became our home, and I am incredibly grateful that Hyde Park has now welcomed KORIELA. Whether you come for your morning coffee, a warm boureka, something sweet, food to bring home to your family, or simply because you are curious about Israeli and Mediterranean flavors — my door is open. I hope you don’t just think of KORIELA as my bakery. I hope, with time, it becomes your neighborhood place too.
Photos courtesy of Koriela Patisserie Facebook
Love this local business? See more insights from your neighborhood guide, Valerie Woodham
