SUNDERLAND — Nestled in the former Dove’s Nest restaurant, a new deli is steadily gaining traction.

Across from Cliffside Apartments and sharing a plaza with Frontier Pizza, resident Hilda Bailey has been whipping up all sorts of food at Banchan Korean Deli, 285 Amherst Road, since she opened the shop in July.

Bailey specializes in a style of Korean cuisine called banchan — hence the name of the deli — that is typically several small dishes that can then be supplemented by a bowl of rice, soup or a larger entree. The main highlight of Bailey’s banchan specialties is kimchi, which is typically salted and fermented napa cabbage or Korean radishes with a wide variety of seasonings.

“That’s what I’m concentrating on is the sides because more and more people have a rice cooker at home,” Bailey said, adding that she often uses produce from nearby Kitchen Garden Farm. “It’s fresh and as local as I try to make it.”

Alongside kimchi, Bailey also offers bibim bowls (typically a mix of vegetables and meat), Korean-style ribs, other meats and dumplings, among many other items.

The road to opening her own deli with homemade products has been far from a straight line. Bailey, 46, grew up in Ayer and spent some time working in her mother’s Korean restaurant before taking on new opportunities at other restaurants and in the corporate world. She soon found that managing her own store allowed her more time to focus on her daughter, who she jokes is the real boss.

“Corporate life is not single-mom friendly,” she said. “This has been on my mind for years, to do something like this, and then the Dove’s Nest came up for sale.”

Since opening, Bailey said business has been steady, but she is looking to hire some more help because she hopes to start providing sit-down meal service at the deli’s counter. She envisions picking a single meal to serve each week.

“Korean food is like a good cheeseburger. You go to one place, they do it one way, you go to another place, they do it another way,” Bailey said. “It’s got my mother’s spin on things, but I do spin it a little bit myself. Generational cooking at its finest.”

Banchan Korean Deli is open from noon to 8 p.m.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.