LAKEVIEW — The kouign amann countdown is on.
Bad Wolf Coffee's last day of business — in Chicago — is Sept. 21.
Instead of finding a buyer for his popular little cafe as he'd hoped at first, owner Jonathan Ory is taking the brand to Charleston, S.C., where he and his family are moving.
Ory said Monday he is working with a restaurant group in Charleston to open "one larger Bad Wolf" that will be part of a bigger project in development for next year.
Michael Shemtov, owner of the craft sandwich shop Butcher and Bee and coffee shop The Daily, confirmed the project but was otherwise mum on the details.
In an e-mail, Shemtov said he was "thrilled to work with Jonathan to be a part of bringing his take on coffee and pastries to Charleston."
"Bad Wolf is pretty close to me," Ory said. "I think retaining the intellectual property and the brand and being able to have more say over the pastries and more quality control is kind of the issue. I'd rather take it with me than see someone else do it."
The pastries — flaky kouign amann, caneles, delicate Paris-Brest and other pastries not usually seen in your average coffee shop — have garnered a following since Bad Wolf opened at 3422 N. Lincoln Ave in July 2013.
Besides those pastries, Ory's shop was known for not having chairs, just one long, tall table in the center and the counter behind which he often worked solo.
The move puts Ory and his wife, who have two small children, back in their hometown.
He said there's a possibility he would expand Bad Wolf to other cities once he feels secure with the Charleston project.
"I learned a lot opening Bad Wolf. There's changes I'd love to make in a 2.0," he said.
Ory said closing on a Monday felt natural as it has "always been the end of my week." Bad Wolf is closed on Tuesdays.
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