When she took up baking during the pandemic “like everyone else,” Onika Wiriadinata didn’t expect it would lead to her own business.
But her first attempt — a mocha cream cake for her mom’s birthday — sparked an unexpected passion for baking. It wasn’t long before Wiriadinata found herself fulfilling requests from other members of South Philly’s Indonesian community.
Three years later, that effort has expanded to Omi Kitchen, a cheery corner bakery open since May 17 on 12th and Tasker, with a focus on rotis — Indonesian breads, different than the unleavened type found on the Indian subcontinent — flavored with a variety of sweet and savory toppings and fillings.
On the sweeter side, buttercream-, chocolate-, and pineapple jam-filled rotis, as well a banana-choco-cheese combo, with an option that omits the sweetened cheddar are also available. Savory fillings include ham-egg-and-cheese, beef and veggie curries, corn and cheese, and a pizza roti.
Besides traditional recipes, Wiriadinata has come up with her own creations; riffs on the flavors the 40-year-old said she grew up with. Usually wrapped in sticky rice, the herbed chicken lemper at Omi Kitchen is instead served in a pillowy bun, while the sesame-topped, crushed peanut and brown sugar-filled roti sits “halfway between a traditional Indonesian snack and a Butterfinger,” Wiriadinata told Billy Penn.
Much of the menu, Wiriadinata explained, has been shaped by nostalgia. “We got a lot of requests from our friends in the Indonesian community,” she said of the years leading up to Omi’s opening. “A lot of people miss what they used to have back home.”
Frequently requested items that have made it to Omi’s menu include the abon, or pork floss and mayo roti, as well as a trio of long johns — bar-shaped doughnuts popularized in Indonesia by local chain Holland Bakery, topped with either chocolate sprinkles, sweet cheese, or abon.
The bakery also offers pulled bread loaves with a rotation of fillings, and a beverage lineup of teas including popular Indonesian brand Teh Kotak, alongside coffee from Vibrant Roasters, and happy soda — a traditional concoction of condensed milk, sparkling water, and rose syrup.
Starting this weekend, they’ll also be selling freshly baked bagels — plain, sesame, and everything.
‘As a family, we saw the potential she has’
With her sisters Adriana and Stevanie — youngest sister Nadya was born in the US — Wiriadinata left Central Java in 2004, two semesters shy of a degree in interior design, to meet the deadline for a citizen sponsorship through her parents who had already settled in Philly.
When the pandemic hit, Wiriadinata had been working at the home daycare center run by her mother Eva, or ‘Omi’ to her grandchildren. It was in her kitchen that Wiriadinata first began baking, discovering a creative outlet similar to interior design, and fueled by hours of increasingly elaborate online tutorials.
“As a family we saw the potential she has,” younger sister Stevanie, 35, said. “So, we started pushing her to open a bakery.” She described how over the past few years, Wiriadinata had balanced raising her two children and the daycare job with staying up all night to attend virtual cooking classes based in Indonesia.
“This is really a labor of love for her,” Stevanie said of her sibling. “She put her blood, sweat, and tears [learning] her craft.”
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A selection of sweet and savory rotis and chocolate and sweet cheese long johns from Omi Kitchen, at 1600 S 12th Street. (Ali Mohsen/Billy Penn) -
While on much of the Indian subcontinent the term ‘roti’ refers to unleavened bread, in Indonesia it covers all varieties. The specialty at Omi is on mildly sweet, pillowy breads, like this veggie curry-filled roti. (Ali Mohsen/Billy Penn) -
Formerly Golden Garden Grocery, 1600 S 12th Street is now home to Omi Kitchen, an Indonesian bakery offering rotis with a variety of sweet and savory fillings and toppings. (Ali Mohsen/Billy Penn) -
Formerly Golden Garden Grocery, 1600 S 12th Street is now home to Omi Kitchen, an Indonesian bakery offering rotis with a variety of sweet and savory fillings and toppings. (Ali Mohsen/Billy Penn)
Familial support continues to be instrumental for Wiriadinata, with her mother, sisters, and daughter Andrea frequently assisting at the bakery — “we kind of do everything as a family,” Stevanie said. Together, the team produces an average of 200 rotis a day; 400 on weekends. There have already been instances of closing early to restock on ingredients.
“We didn’t expect this response,” Wiriadinata reflected. “But it’s been great. We’re really grateful for the support from our community and for the people from the neighborhood.”
1600 S 12th Street | $3-$10 | 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday-Friday; 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday-Sunday | Outdoor seating only | @omikitchen.philly | Private orders available through Instagram.
