Beijing Bids Farewell to Beloved "Big Bear" Baker Jonathan Ellis

He alluded to leaving as early as this past summer, as demolitions threatened to ravage his bakery near Gulou Xidajie (though it was thankfully spared in the end), but now the owner of Big Bear Baked Goods, Jonathan Ellis, is finally pulling the trigger, announcing via Facebook his plans to leave Beijing for LA before month's end and closing a decade-long chapter in China's capital.

The beloved Chicago-born baker opened a brick and mortar dessert shop for his Big Bear Baked Goods brand with Anete Elken (of Rukis' Estonian rye bread fame) this past May. Before that, Ellis made a name for himself selling sweet wares at various restaurants, shops, and markets around town, becoming in high demand thanks to winning the Cookie Monster baking contest in 2013.

Despite those and many more fond memories in the capital (such as his turn in the Beijinger's manufactured band, Stiletto, which adorned the cover of our magazine in 2012, and his drumming in the Rich Akers-fronted cover band Bye Bye Kitty), Ellis is sure that it's now time for him to bid Beijing adieu. Part of his decision stems from his family's plans to move from LA to Salem, Oregon. He'll assist them and then settle in nearby Portland to study the culinary arts and start a new business there.  

"My original plan with Big Bear was to bridge the gap between Chinese pastries and confections and Western pastries, and I think I might be able to do that better back in the States, as I go back to school to learn more and try to make a go of it with a bakery there," Ellis tells TBJ. 

Another reason behind Ellis departure: The Great Brickening of 2017. He calls it: "not even gentrification, but sterilization of culture, along with the rollback of the hutongs, and regulations in general putting a damper on things."

Ellis began to feel that way when laborers rolled into the vicinity of his bakery earlier this year. "I had just come back from a break to find the end of the alley, near where my shop is, being torn up. It gave me a sinking feeling, especially when I heard about arbitrary policies, like how people were supposed to get 30 days notice before anything like affected their businesses, and yet one guy told me he only six days in actuality to prepare." 

And while Ellis is preparing to leave all that behind, fans of his Big Bear desserts need not fret. His partner at the bakery, Anete Elken, and fellow baker Peter VanderMeulen (formerly of Ahava) will carry the business on in Beijing with many of Ellis' most popular recipes and new sweet treats of their own.  

Though he's eager to move on and begin a new chapter, Ellis nevertheless describes the forthcoming move as "bittersweet." And regardless of how things shake out, Ellis says he'll always look back fondly on the city that helped get him his start as a baker.

"It's too bad I'll miss the Cookie Monster bake-off this year, because that's what started it all for me. I loved getting to build my brand, and meet other entrepreneurs at the markets, to share stories and be in the trenches together. I can't wait to bring all that I've learned here in Beijing, and give it a try with a new business in the States." 

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Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
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Photos courtesy of Jonathan Ellis, Carmel Moersalim