There was a simple reason why Lee Ching and his daughter Lucy Chu decided to open Lu Lu’s.

“This is something my dad has always wanted to do,” Chu said. “He loves to cook, especially pastries and desserts, and it was something he has wanted to get back to doing for quite some time.”

Ching, 70, has been cooking since 1954, when he and his brother opened up a restaurant in Columbia, South America.

“I have been cooking forever,” he said with a laugh. “This is a passion of mine. I love to get my hands into the dough and make wonderful things to eat.”

Ching and Chu opened Lu Lu’s, located inside the Chu Clinic, on Thursday. The idea of opening their own shop presented itself when the Chu Clinic was built.

“There was extra office space, and I love coffee,” Chu said, “so the thought was there and we acted on it.”

“The first couple of days that we have been open have been great.”

Cherie Johnston, who helps in the coffee shop, said that there has been a good bit of steady traffic throughout the few days they have been open.

Lu Lu’s opens each morning at 5 a.m., serving coffee, espresso, cappuccino and iced coffee and hot chocolate.

There are bagels, croissants and a sampling of other baked items for customers to enjoy with their beverages including pumpkin bread, blueberry muffins and danishes.

Chu pointed out that the shop’s bread-and-butter, its pastries, cakes and danishes, are all hand-made by her father.

“He makes everything from scratch,” she said. “That’s about as fresh as you can get.”

Chu said that while early-afternoon business is naturally a bit slow, the coffee shop is busy in the mornings, already favored by a number of locals who gather in the store’s comfortable seating area.

“We’re planning on having some more comfortable leather chairs to sit in for those who prefer a little quiet time to relax,” she said.

Lu Lu’s will soon feature Wi-Fi in June for those who need to surf the Web while they sip their coffee.

Lu Lu’s is open from 5 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.