Arnold Byun has always been interested in building the infrastructure surrounding the experience of food and culture via his impeccable taste, drive and refusal to compromise. His resume includes fine dining juggernauts 11 Madison Park and Atomix, creating his own pop up takeaway NAEMO in LA, and is currently the founder of Maum Market, a marketplace celebrating Korean-American makers and business owners.
Arnold Byun has always been interested in building the infrastructure surrounding the experience of food and culture via his impeccable taste, drive and refusal to compromise. His resume includes fine dining juggernauts 11 Madison Park and Atomix, creating his own pop up takeaway NAEMO in LA, and is currently the founder of Maum Market, a marketplace celebrating Korean-American makers and business owners.
Show Notes:
00:00:06:01 - 00:00:29:15
Speaker 1
You have these new up and coming chefs that are Korean American or Asian American, and they're doing their own take on the food that they grew up eating. I think there will always be a debate over what's authentic or what's not, but I beg the question, why does it have to be authentic? You know, as long as you're staying true to you and your experiences growing up, I deem that as authentic to to the to the chef or to the owner.
00:00:29:16 - 00:00:54:09
Speaker 1
So growing up, I always thought in terms of I had to be one or the other, but now I'm like, you know what? I think being in this in-between is so beautiful. K beauty to obviously entertainment with Parasite and Squid Game and now we have the first Korean-American like Muppet. It's it's so crazy for me to see these parallels in different industries.
00:00:54:10 - 00:01:02:09
Speaker 1
And I think food is inevitably the next thing.
00:01:02:10 - 00:01:26:04
Speaker 2
Welcome to the Prix Fixe Podcast. Where the new voices in the culinary world share their stories in their own words. The show is produced and edited by me, Jordan Haro in Los Angeles, California. Ultimately, I will remove my side of the conversation and let the guests tell their story in their own words. It takes a village to run a restaurant in the upper echelon of fine dining establishments.
00:01:26:04 - 00:01:48:17
Speaker 2
The pressure to consistently deliver requires a talented team of people whose jobs is everything but cooking. Meet Arnold Byun a brand builder and community connector. Arnold has always been interested in building the infrastructure surrounding the experience of food and culture. He's worked at places like Eleven Madison Park and Atomix while doing a million other things to build a resume and learn and develop his skill set
00:01:48:19 - 00:02:13:09
Speaker 2
As the guy you want running your project. I first met Arnold through his L.A. pop up Naemo where he teamed up with the folks at Hanchic in Koreatown, making to go boxes of seasonal ban chan It was a beautiful spring day, and what I remember most is how this meal mirrrored the crisp air, carrying with it the feeling of possibility I associate with that time of year, and that the antisocial aspect of the pandemic was ending soon.
00:02:13:10 - 00:02:28:15
Speaker 2
Now he runs Maum Market, celebrating Korean-American makers, artists and founders that have made emerging and established brands. His story is fascinating and one that I think fits in very nicely with the array of conversations we have on this podcast. Let's listen in.
00:02:28:17 - 00:02:49:17
Speaker 1
My name is Arnold Byun, and introducing myself is always kind of tricky. I feel I do a lot, but when it comes down to it, I'm a brand builder. community connector is what I tell people on is my email signature at the moment. When people think about people who work in food, they immediately think a chef. But that's not who I am.
00:02:49:19 - 00:03:12:16
Speaker 1
I'm not actually, I don't I don't cook at all, actually. and that's not my background. But yes, by definition, I work in the food industry, food and beverage industry. I'm a Korean-American, right? And so that's a big part of who I am and what I do in this space. And so my story kind of I guess it started, I want to say probably when I was like 15 years old, and I actually was in Korea at the time.
00:03:12:16 - 00:03:29:22
Speaker 1
So I was born in Korea. I grew up in the States. I split time between, I did live in LA, but more like the Torrance area, and I lived there for a little bit. And then I went to Jersey for a little bit, and then I ended up going to Korea for high school. So I kind of grew up, thinking I was Korean in the States.
00:03:29:22 - 00:03:51:21
Speaker 1
And then I went back to the motherland and really came to a quick realization that I wasn't that Korean at all. and so around the time I moved, my parents had gotten divorced, which is why I moved to Korea to live with my dad. My dad was also not a cook at all. He was running his own like shipping logistics company, and my mom was a good cook, but she was no longer in the picture.
00:03:51:23 - 00:04:09:12
Speaker 1
And my dad, I think, felt a lot of guilt over that. For whatever reason. I'm sure he had his reasons for that. And, you know, he's a very intense guy. So while he was running his own shipping company in Korea, he wanted he had a desire to cook for me and my brother, like nice home cooked meals.
00:04:09:12 - 00:04:27:18
Speaker 1
And so he actually took night classes at Le Cordon Blue because they have a portal campus in Korea. And so he was going he was running his own business during a day. And then whenever that was done, he would take culinary classes. And then soon enough, he was cooking up like these crazy, insane pastas and just French, French, you know, French cuisine, Italian cuisine.
00:04:27:18 - 00:04:52:20
Speaker 1
And then before, you know, he's opening up a French fine dining restaurant, Italian restaurant. we opened a Thai restaurant. Korean. I mean, he did he did all of that. And while he was doing that and shifted completely into the food industry, I think myself, I felt empowered, too, because you know, I realized that that was his way of expressing love to me, you know, and that's something that I think people that are non-Asian, it's difficult to associate with.
00:04:52:20 - 00:05:16:13
Speaker 1
But like, for example, I've never heard I love you growing up, you know, like love is expressed through food, usually in terms of like my culture. And I think and just in general, like Asian culture, like food is a very emotional thing. And so I was a recipient of that right, of my dad's cooking. And I was like, wow, man, I could, I could, I could, I could feel how much effort and dedication you put into cooking these meals.
00:05:16:13 - 00:05:39:14
Speaker 1
And I was so enamored and just I was almost bewildered by how how much passion I felt from like a bite of food, you know? And so that really resonated with me. And then I saw him opening these restaurants and, he he's he's a workaholic. And so, after school, I would go and help out at the restaurant.
00:05:39:16 - 00:05:59:09
Speaker 1
I start as a dishwasher, and I was like, my first ever job. I think I crushed it, you know, I say to say, like, I promoted myself kind of. And I begged my dad like, hey, I want to try different things. I want to, I want to do cashier. I want to run food, bus tables. So I kind of created this rotational like restaurant internship for, for myself.
00:05:59:11 - 00:06:17:06
Speaker 1
and I loved it, man, I loved it. So again, not necessarily in the kitchen, but more like front of house, positions. And I think for me, I was always into the guests and communicating with guests and just creating and like a really great experience for them. I was never really interested in the culinary part of it, to be honest with you.
00:06:17:11 - 00:06:37:04
Speaker 1
I think for me it's a little bit laborious. It's not as exciting as like strike up a conversation. And, I always thought the coolest part about working in this, in this business is how you can be in one place. And all these people from different walks of life are coming through that door. And so it's it's been an incredible opportunity for me.
00:06:37:06 - 00:06:53:00
Speaker 1
I feel like I've grown a lot as a person just being by being in this industry. but yeah, around that time is when I was just like, hey, I, I want to do this for the rest of my life. Like, I want to be in this business. I don't know how or what what I would be doing, but I want to be in like the restaurant industry and the hospitality industry.
00:06:53:00 - 00:07:16:03
Speaker 1
And so, I ended up going to NYU to do like, my, my undergrad and, they call it hotel management. Right. and so that's kind of like in a way similar to business school. So we learn about sales and marketing, you know, human resources, hospitality law, financial classes and, with, with the context of, like, hotels and restaurants.
00:07:16:04 - 00:07:37:20
Speaker 1
Like I said, my dad's a workaholic. And so that was my version of normal. I was like, oh, okay. Like, if you can run a shipping business and go to culinary school at night, I'm like, I'm pretty sure I could do school and work at the same time. And so as soon as I stepped foot in New York, like a lot of first time people in New York do, I was just really inspired and really motivated by this, like, rush of energy and hustling.
00:07:37:20 - 00:07:56:06
Speaker 1
And that rubbed off on me. And even then, when I first landed in New York and I went to school, I set a goal for myself. So my goal at the time, when I first got to college was to be a restaurant manager, and I worked nonstop from job to job to job. I never had a break in between.
00:07:56:06 - 00:08:27:07
Speaker 1
So, my first restaurant job was at Steven Star's Morimoto. It's in Chelsea market. It's actually closed, closed during the pandemic, which is really sad because it had an amazing run. but that was my first restaurant job in college. in the States actually, like the first proper restaurant job. And so I started as a host, which is like a super entry level position that, you know, a lot of people start off that, especially if you don't have experience and you want to be in front of house.
00:08:27:09 - 00:08:49:07
Speaker 1
that's kind of like the typical career trajectory. And so I inserted myself there and I did that for a year. and while I was there, I did an internship at the Ritz-Carlton in Central Park. It was a, food and beverage internship. It was like, to date, it is the most intense interview I've ever done for the for the lamest job I've ever had, which was like counting wine bottles.
00:08:49:07 - 00:09:11:01
Speaker 1
And, yeah, I felt really useless, but it's it's great on the resume. And so I did that first summer, but I did learn about, like, company culture, like Ritz-Carlton has a strong history of, they have this motto, which is, ladies and gentlemen, serving ladies, ladies and gentlemen, which is they try to teach you in terms of how to carry yourself.
00:09:11:03 - 00:09:29:00
Speaker 1
And, you know, they they give you this credo card on day one, and this credo card is pocket size, kind of like a z fold almost, and has like their mission statement, which I just told you about, but also, you know, three steps of service and the steps of service being the first one is, a warm welcome.
00:09:29:02 - 00:09:48:19
Speaker 1
And using the guest first name, the second one is anticipating guest needs. And then the third one, I believe, is, wishing them like a farewell. Like a fond farewell. And so those things, like, really resonated with me. And they still I still think about it. I had that credo card still hung up in my room just to remind myself of all the wine bottles I had to count.
00:09:48:21 - 00:10:09:14
Speaker 1
but yeah. So I did the internship while going, while working at Morimoto, while going to school. And this, this kind of process of always doing a little bit more has just persisted throughout college when after Ritz-Carlton, I did want to try the hotel route a little bit. So I ended up working at, Ian Schrager is, Morgan Hotel Group.
00:10:09:16 - 00:10:33:10
Speaker 1
They just got acquired by SBE a few years ago. But at the time I worked at Hudson Hotel, I was a front office intern. And I was just like, really curious about hotels because that's something I learned in college. And I tried it for a little bit and quickly realized that it just wasn't my thing. I didn't really have fun in the hotel space, and a lot of it is because in the US, restaurant and hotels are treated as amenities.
00:10:33:10 - 00:10:59:17
Speaker 1
They're not. Revenue centers they are more like support centers, so they're never a priority for the hotel. you know, whether you make money, you lose money. They actually lose like restaurants in hotels, typically speaking, lose a lot of money. And that's just a given. That's just how they operate. And and so, with that in mind, I always feel like the food and beverage, outlets and venues and hotels never get the love and never get that support that they deserve.
00:10:59:17 - 00:11:19:18
Speaker 1
And I definitely felt that way interning and, I was like, you know, I, I don't think I don't think working in restaurants inside a hotel is my thing. And so I double down on standalone restaurants. So, after Morimoto after Ritz Carlton and this hotel internship at Morgan's hotel group, I worked, where else did I work?
00:11:19:18 - 00:11:42:14
Speaker 1
I think I went to, I think I went to Bouley next, and I worked at David Bouley’s restaurant. It's called Bouley restaurant. It's closed too now, but back in the day, I mean, he's really, like, a legend, you know, in New York. And he's the one that really brought over, this, this kind of very specific regional French cooking to, to New York in the 80s and 90s.
00:11:42:14 - 00:12:04:14
Speaker 1
And he was really hot back in the 80s and 90s. And so I worked at his restaurant, also as a host, but then soon got promoted to maitre d. And then while I was there, I actually did another internship, and I did it at Daniel Bouloud’s Dinex group. They get confused a lot. Daniel Bouloud and David Boulay. So I work for both guys at the same time.
00:12:04:16 - 00:12:25:00
Speaker 1
And then at Bouloud I was also like a restaurant intern. And so I did an internship at Bar Bouloud, Epicerie Bouloud and Bouloud Sud, So on, you know, right across Lincoln Center, he has like three restaurants right next to each other. And so I did an internship, three month internship, one month at each concept. Really cool. just shadowing all the different positions.
00:12:25:02 - 00:12:49:04
Speaker 1
And then I use that experience and I applied it to my job, my other job, and, at the other job at Boulay, my manager was leaving to go to Cornell to do his masters. And, that position opened up and, I really wanted it at the time, and I was probably 20 years old, and I think a lot of it was just I was young, I didn't know any better.
00:12:49:06 - 00:13:05:23
Speaker 1
I definitely didn't deserve it, but I felt like I could prove myself. And so we had a hard time filling that spot. And I went to chef and I said, hey, chef, I, I want to do this. Like, I want to be a manager here. I want to give it a go. And you know, I think he was like, you know what?
00:13:05:23 - 00:13:27:14
Speaker 1
I for him, I think it was I rather go with someone I kind of know and like, I that knows the restaurant. Then maybe finding someone from from the outside. And so it was, it was kind of a luck of the draw. Good timing. I feel very lucky. And so he, he promoted me to manager, an age where I couldn’t even drink wine, you know, and I did my best to learn.
00:13:27:14 - 00:13:49:00
Speaker 1
I just watched the captains and the people that I worked at the restaurant that did my best. And I learned so much from that experience. And, you know, at the time, we had a michelin star, honestly, that I think managing Bouley opened everything else. And so even while I was there, I was getting scouted, like all different restaurants were asking me to come over and manage their restaurant.
00:13:49:02 - 00:14:13:09
Speaker 1
One restaurant in particular really appealed to me, which was, Hakkasan So Hakkasan is a it's huge international brand now, but, upscale Chinese and, think like, a Tao or Budakan but but not as clubby and and the food was actually really, really good. And so my former, you know, manager had gone to Hakkasan in Times Square.
00:14:13:13 - 00:14:32:13
Speaker 1
And so they had a vacancy there for like a restaurant manager position, which would be a step up for me. I was an assistant manager at the time, so I took that. And so I was at Hakkasan for a little bit. And then same thing happened. And then Soho House kept calling. And Soho House was doing their first like public facing restaurant in New York called Cecconi’s.
00:14:32:13 - 00:14:54:15
Speaker 1
They actually have one here in LA as well. And so we were opening a Cecconi’s in Dumbo, Brooklyn. And it was a new like opening project. Right. And so for me, I was like, oh, wow, that's like a new challenge. So let me do that. And so, I went over to Soho House and I was an opening food and beverage manager for Cecconi’s which was like probably the craziest experience I've ever had in my life.
00:14:54:15 - 00:15:17:13
Speaker 1
I work 60, 60, 70 days, like, nonstop, no days off preparing for that opening. And I go from a raw space into what it is now. so that was amazing. And so, I realized that while I was managing, I was I had achieved my goal, I was still in school, and I would go to school in like a suit because I just don't have time to change.
00:15:17:13 - 00:15:32:03
Speaker 1
You know, I was going to school in between my lunch and dinner shifts and just trying to make this all work. And then, got to a point to a threshold where I just because I just kind of do both at the same time. It wasn't very sustainable for me. but I also felt like going to classes.
00:15:32:03 - 00:15:45:22
Speaker 1
They would teach me how to be a manager. But then I was already manager and I was it just didn't make sense in my head because I achieved what I wanted. I was learning a lot, and I was getting paid to learn in a way. And so I like, you know, fuck this. Like I'm just going to take a year off in school.
00:15:45:22 - 00:16:02:11
Speaker 1
So I took it that year off, double down on like managing restaurants. loved it. I fucking loved it. And then, you know, eventually I might as well finish because I had a year left of school. So I went back to school just did school for like a few months. And then I and then I got that itch again.
00:16:02:13 - 00:16:24:21
Speaker 1
But then at this time, I felt like I went through a lot of like, imposter syndrome. So I had done a lot for my age. But at the same time I was like, do I deserve this? I don't, I feel like I still don't know what I'm doing. I felt like I kind of fake my way here. And then around this time, like 2017, love Madison Park was named number one restaurant in the world by world's 50 best in college.
00:16:24:21 - 00:16:48:07
Speaker 1
I actually started a club called Restaurant Club like Restauranteur Club, because I'm really passionate about restaurants in the way that my dad, even though he is a restaurateur, always did not want me to go down this path. you could call it, you know, like an Asian thing, but I think it's just I think restaurants still as a, as a professional is not respected enough.
00:16:48:08 - 00:17:14:08
Speaker 1
especially in Asia. So that's always something that I really wanted to change, that, that kind of, perspective. And, and so I started this club in college with the intention of let's make working in restaurants more of like a profession that's get people to respect this industry. And so I conducted these prix fixds at michelin star restaurants and basically use NYU’s money to pay for them.
00:17:14:10 - 00:17:32:10
Speaker 1
and also the tours. And so one of the last events that I did was I want to go out with a bang, right? My senior year in college, I'm like, I'm on a tour at 11 Madison Park.. So it's a pretty good story. So at the time, Will Guidara was still involved in 11 Madison Park. he is the former partner of Daniel Humm
00:17:32:10 - 00:17:52:08
Speaker 1
So it’s the two of them running this restaurant. And so he was a front of house counterpart. Right. And so I looked up to him a lot, I still do, I respect him a lot. And, I working in all these different restaurants and getting email addresses from them. Right. I kind of figured out the email format of typical companies.
00:17:52:08 - 00:18:14:03
Speaker 1
It's usually like first name, last name or first name initial. last name or first name, whatever. Right. So I wanted to email Will Guidara. So I went to, you know, I opened up Gmail and then I went to the BCC field and I did like W-dot-.Guidara will-dot-guidara I, like I said, all these are crazy combinations. I was like, oh man, I don't know if it's going to work.
00:18:14:03 - 00:18:28:04
Speaker 1
And then obviously I had a few bounce backs saying like the email wasn't delivered or whatever, but five minutes later I hear back from Will is like, hey, yeah, let's do it. And then he copied his, director of operations, Sam Lipp at the time. And, he's like, yeah, I will love I will love to host you guys.
00:18:28:05 - 00:18:51:03
Speaker 1
We would love to set up a tour with you. And, next thing you know, I did the tour and dude, honestly, it was so I was so inspired because this is when they renovated, And it completely gutted the restaurant. Renovated to what it is now. And, coming off their number one, you know, win and, and I started to question myself.
00:18:51:03 - 00:19:11:11
Speaker 1
I'm like, fuck, have I've been doing my entire life? I feel like this is where I need to be. Like, I just saw something. It just just went. It just came over me. I'm like, I need to work here. Like I want to. I felt like this is the the next thing I need to do. I just need to know if I can hang with people that work here, because I want to know if if I can work at a three Michelin star restaurant.
00:19:11:13 - 00:19:28:15
Speaker 1
And so did the tour. Just still like I still thought about it for days after. And then eventually I emailed the guy who did the tour for us, who is a director of operations, and he’s like, hey, can we get coffee? You know, and, with, with the full intention of, like, asking for a job. And this is around the time I graduated.
00:19:28:15 - 00:19:49:00
Speaker 1
So I was like, hey, man, like, I'm graduating soon. You know, I manage these restaurants and whatnot, and I really want to work here. then he put me through to the general manager, at the restaurant, went for an interview. and it was really interesting because, like, they the way they operate is, they really don't care what you've done.
00:19:49:03 - 00:20:12:15
Speaker 1
Right? So for me, to be honest, I'm like, hey, I like managed restaurants. I have, like, I can get this easy, but they really don't give a fuck about where you worked because they have their own system and their own rules and the way they do their own things, and they're not looking for someone with experience. They just want someone that will honestly drink the Kool aid, listen to what they have to say, respect the restaurant.
00:20:12:16 - 00:20:27:06
Speaker 1
you know, and so I went for the interview and they said, we don't care where you worked. You have to start. I was like a food runner. And that's just how it is. Like it's they call it a kitchen server. You everyone starts a kitchen server. No matter if you've been a general manager or director of operations.
00:20:27:06 - 00:20:51:05
Speaker 1
They don’t give a fuck. You have to start as a kitchen server. And for me, I was hungry. So I was like, you know what? Sure, that's fine. Like, and to be honest, I felt like I needed that because if you look at my career and my timeline, I never served. I was never a server. I went from like host to maitre d to managing like I would never serve and never I've never been a busser like I did none of these things.
00:20:51:05 - 00:21:15:01
Speaker 1
So I felt like this was a great opportunity to kind of like, relearn properly at this restaurant. and so I started as a kitchen server and then in the in the span of like six months, I got promoted like four times. Yeah. So proved myself was a kitchen server, assistant server server. And then I also expedited, which, if, you know, like, expediting is really intense.
00:21:15:01 - 00:21:31:11
Speaker 1
Probably the hardest job I've had. but once I got the hang of it, it was like the kind of adrenaline rush that goes over you. Expediting at a restaurant like 11 Madison Park is insane, because really, you're the heart of the kitchen and the restaurant, and you're the bridge between the front of house and back of house.
00:21:31:11 - 00:21:50:04
Speaker 1
And so, I was a hybrid, so I served like two, three days on expedited, 2 or 3 days. Best time of life, best time of my life. What happened is I want to stay and I want to. I still want to be there. But during this time, Atomix opened and Atomix is a now a two Michelin star restaurant.
00:21:50:04 - 00:22:09:06
Speaker 1
At the time it had like no stars. Obviously, when it opened and it's a fine dining restaurant by a couple, JP and Ellia. They run a really popular restaurant called Atoboy in New York. It's almost an institution now, in my opinion. Atomix was their kind of fine dining concept, ten course tasting menu. It's in this unmarked townhouse.
00:22:09:10 - 00:22:29:19
Speaker 1
Two stories. You go in, there's beautiful bar, and you have to go down a set of stairs. When you're inside, and it goes down to this kind of U-shaped chef's counter, it's sunken. And then you're treated to this crazy Korean fine dining experience. What happened was when I was at EMP, 11 Madison Park, I was really into trying out other restaurants, right.
00:22:29:19 - 00:22:48:17
Speaker 1
Because like that, for me, that was like R&D or as I like to call it. And I got a reservation to Noma in Copenhagen, which also was this crazy, incredible restaurant. And I was utterly disappointed. I was this that was really wack. and so I came back, I was like, kind of disappointed. I was so defeated. I was like, really?
00:22:48:17 - 00:23:06:17
Speaker 1
That's that's it. And then I got a reservation to Atomix probably like in the same week that I came back from Copenhagen. And honestly, I went with like zero expectations because I didn't have anything to compare it to. There was no Korean fine dining at the time. Like nothing, nothing remotely close to it. I mean, now there's so many.
00:23:06:17 - 00:23:32:21
Speaker 1
But at the time when it opened in 2018, it was probably the first of its kind, at least in the US. And so I just went, you know, severely underdressed and I was so blown away. And it was such an emotional meal for me because I never thought the food that I grew up with could be presented in this way, because for me, Korean food, I'm sure for a lot of people, like listening to this is like Korean barbecue or or it's just more homey, more comforting.
00:23:33:00 - 00:23:54:23
Speaker 1
You know, it's like the BCD lunch special, you know, $13. You get everything and you get the limitless ban chan on the side dishes like that. That's also that's how I thought of it to, to be honest. But here they are, charging arm and a leg like $205 tasting ten course tasting menu for this. Amazing. Honestly, it was worth every penny and it was better than Noma.
00:23:55:01 - 00:24:13:03
Speaker 1
It was probably even better than 11 Madison Park. You know, I'm like, I will more than happy to go on record right now and say Atomix is better than 11 Madison Park because it's such a personal experience. and me as a Korean American, I was dude I was just blown away again, had the same euphoric moment.
00:24:13:08 - 00:24:43:15
Speaker 1
I was like, I need to, I need to be here. Like I need to be a part of this because this thing is fucking cool. Like, this is going to take off and I want to be a part of that momentum. I wanted to help them get to the next level. and so I, I hit them up and, I had a few meetings with them and basically gone on board, like the first after their first year anniversary at a 2019, I think I gone on stay there for like almost two years.
00:24:43:17 - 00:25:04:08
Speaker 1
and I was really happy there, really happy there. I was basically the gatekeeper there. So every email, every reservation, it had to go through me. and just working alongside the couple, I was really, really inspired and learned to embrace my heritage more, and they really changed my mindset about Korean food. and I was going to be there.
00:25:04:08 - 00:25:16:08
Speaker 1
And then pandemic happened.
00:25:16:10 - 00:25:38:23
Speaker 1
Yeah, new York was in the shits at the time, like New York was not looking good. This is so this is, let's see, summer like fall 2020 going into the winter time, the projections were that New York was going to be like this crazy epicenter. And it was because the density but also with the winter season coming, obviously it's more seasonal in LA, right?
00:25:38:23 - 00:26:01:17
Speaker 1
So people could catch a cold. I mean, it was all the headlines were were crazy. And honestly, we all didn't know what was going to happen. And I think for me, growing up as someone that was such a workaholic and set goals for myself, this was a very difficult time for me because I don't like not knowing what's next and not having control over honestly my destiny and like what I wanted to do.
00:26:01:19 - 00:26:18:03
Speaker 1
And so. And I couldn't blame them either, because they don't. They don't know either. They don't know what to do either. And so it kind of became this breaking point because my lease was coming up on my New York apartment. I have a younger brother here in LA, and I don't know what it was at the time.
00:26:18:05 - 00:26:35:17
Speaker 1
but I was like, you know what? Fuck it. You know? And I think people during Covid went one of the two ways where they're like doubling down and really going to stick, stick it through and stay where they are or just go the complete opposite direction. I'm like, you know what? Maybe this is the perfect time for me to reset.
00:26:35:19 - 00:26:53:13
Speaker 1
And that's what I did. I was like, I think this is it for me, because I was in New York for seven to eight years at the time, and I just I just didn't see a future anymore, at that restaurant and just in New York in general. And I felt like this was a perfect opportunity. Just. Fuck. I got just I got to go, and I thought L.A. was going to be great.
00:26:53:15 - 00:27:10:06
Speaker 1
And so for me, I was like, flying out here. I was like, man, I am so smart. I made the right decision and I come here. And October 2020 LA is announced as a new epicenter. So the running joke is that I brought Covid with me from New York, but no it's not true. but it was terrible, man.
00:27:10:06 - 00:27:30:01
Speaker 1
Like LA, I'm sure. I'm sure, you know, and I'm sure people that live here know around that time, October, November, December 2020, we went through another lockdown. Outdoor dining was gone. Like there was nothing, nothing you can do. And that's when I moved here. And yeah, I grew up here, but not really. I grew up in Torrance when I was six, seven, eight, so I don't really have friends.
00:27:30:03 - 00:27:50:01
Speaker 1
I also moved with no job, I just moved. I don't know what I was thinking, I just moved here, like I will figure it out. And so I moved here. September 22nd, 2020. So it's been around a year, a little over a year now. But let me tell you, man, it's just a blur for me. Like September, October, November, December, just that winter season, I was so depressed.
00:27:50:03 - 00:28:09:12
Speaker 1
never experienced depression in my life before because I just have time to experience it. And here I was, alone. No friends, couldn't make any friends, no job worrying about how to pay rent, and then thinking. And then. And then just again, that expectation that LA would be better for whatever reason. And it actually was worse in New York.
00:28:09:12 - 00:28:25:17
Speaker 1
And I was just so gutted. I was like, oh, man, maybe I made a mistake. You know? and so that's how I kind of ended up here. And then. Yeah, I just, I don't know, I just didn't do anything. I was, I didn't want to wake up. I was like, Holy shit, my life. I was just really dramatic at the time.
00:28:25:17 - 00:28:44:15
Speaker 1
And now looking back on, I was like, oh my God, my life is over. I don't know what I'm going to do. The restaurant industry is in shambles, like, holy shit. Like I'm done. I'm like, I'm done for. no friends, you know? So. And then eventually in December, I realized that, for people experiencing depression or anything, you know, really hard.
00:28:44:17 - 00:29:00:19
Speaker 1
I learned that I just had to do it myself. Like, I had to get myself out of it. You know? I can't keep waiting for someone to, like, hold my hand and bring me out of it. Like, I really had to go through it myself. And around December, I kind of felt better. and I realize that I need to create my own opportunities.
00:29:00:19 - 00:29:22:13
Speaker 1
You know, I fuck this, right? I can't just wait around. And so I hit up a chef friend at the time who who worked at Atomix when I was there, too. and I knew that he had gotten laid off in New York and he needed a job. and so, around this time is also when you saw a lot of pop ups kind of, start because, again, no outdoor dining.
00:29:22:15 - 00:29:39:19
Speaker 1
And I felt like at the time, bento boxes were huge. I saw a lot of it happen on Instagram, and I saw a lot of it becoming a normalized experience where you just show up to some random person's home and pick up food from them. I'm like, that's interesting. So I had this space in the West Side.
00:29:39:19 - 00:29:58:15
Speaker 1
I have a pretty nice kitchen. I don't cook, but I know a friend who cooks. Also, I'm Korean. I feel like bento boxes. There's too many bento boxes, you know, and like, at the time when I looked at the market, there was no Korean offering. You know, really, the only Korean offering at the time was probably spoon by H.
00:29:58:17 - 00:30:23:19
Speaker 1
I want to say. And Perla does a good job too, but she she does more like, just, side dishes and, I don't know, I just felt like we could do something there. and so I had this idea of doing a, kind of really, honestly inspired by Atoboy in New York, too. I had the idea of doing a format where it's like two rice, two soups and eight side dishes, or punch on four hot ones and four cold ones.
00:30:23:21 - 00:30:43:03
Speaker 1
And the idea was I wanted to change the I the perception of banchan Right. So again, banchan is is typically associated with it's free. You go to a restaurant, a typical Korean Russian. You sit down and the ladies bring like these ten little side dishes. And then you can always ask for more. And I want to change that idea.
00:30:43:03 - 00:31:00:22
Speaker 1
I'm like, why? Why should it be like that? So I want the side dishes to be the main thing. And the rice is becomes a side dish, almost. because in Korea, the way we enjoy a meal is usually with rice and, ban chan. So that was like the general idea. And then I also wanted to chef it up a little bit.
00:31:01:00 - 00:31:22:07
Speaker 1
I felt like that was kind of missing from, L.A. at the time. And New York was going through this renaissance of these after Atomix opened, a lot of other restaurants followed suit. And so they're going through and this renaissance and I felt like LA could use a little bit of that too. And so we wanted to kind of create a more upscale experience with Korean food.
00:31:22:09 - 00:31:43:13
Speaker 1
and then the name Naemo means square in Korean. And that's because during the wintertime, we're all on Instagram, and Instagram is just a grid of squares. So it was like kind of a play on that. And then then and then the other thing was I wanted to use like very specific square container. So when we did our first concept we use this double tiered box.
00:31:43:13 - 00:32:05:08
Speaker 1
And they actually had four squares in it. And so the first tier would have the, the hot one hot banchan. And then the second one would have cold ones. And so that's the meaning behind the name and also the idea that a square could be anything. You could put anything into a square. and then when I was at 11 Madison Park, we talked a lot about the four walls, like within the four walls.
00:32:05:08 - 00:32:20:23
Speaker 1
And that also kind of stuck with me, too. So. Oh, and then the other thing being like, I wanted non Koreans to look at the name and be able to kind of like somewhat pronounce it and make it a little bit more approachable. And I felt like it's, it's easy enough to say, and so that's kind of why I went with the name.
00:32:20:23 - 00:32:40:16
Speaker 1
And that launched in January of this year. And, that also has a crazy backstory because I called my chef friends like, hey, dude, you got to got it. You got to do it like, no, you gotta do it now because shit's getting better now. Like Covid is easing up, outdoor dining might come back. We got to do it now.
00:32:40:16 - 00:32:59:13
Speaker 1
Like now and then like the next week you flew out. We went straight to the all the farmers markets together. Super inspired. I know people in LA. You're like, what are you talking about? But you don't see this kind of produce in New York. And so so then that also changed the concept a little bit. We're like, dude, let's just use everything we can find from the local farmer's market.
00:32:59:13 - 00:33:24:01
Speaker 1
So as soon became kind of like, what if we did like take California cooking and then added like Korean flavors and Korean finesse and just kind of the flavor profiles we grew up with using farmer's market ingredients. So then it becomes this kind of like Korean California cooking. and so we came up with a menu maybe like the next day, next 2 or 3 days.
00:33:24:03 - 00:33:46:12
Speaker 1
And then at the time I, my photographer friend was staying with me at my place from New York and super talented guy and like, hey dude, can you do like a photoshoot for us? So we nailed out a photoshoot same week. and then I had a lot of great media contacts because I have another, brand or company called With Warm Welcome, where I actually podcast as well, and, other things.
00:33:46:12 - 00:34:07:01
Speaker 1
And so I had a really good relationship with like eater infatuation back in New York. And so I emailed him a, hey, can you connect me to your L.A. counterpart? And so this all happened within that week in December 2020. I did press pitches and sent them photographs. We had a menu. I banged out the website myself, came up with the logo myself.
00:34:07:03 - 00:34:30:12
Speaker 1
and so, yeah, we launched in January this year, and it's been kind of, there's a lot that happened since then I'm happy to go into. But yeah, it's been a crazy journey so far. I think for me, I actually had never seen the menu development process until, this project. So before I even though I was a manager, as a manager, I'm really busy with payroll and managing my front of house staff.
00:34:30:12 - 00:34:59:18
Speaker 1
And sometimes I'll have meetings with my chef. But I've never worked so intensely and closely to the chef and for my own project. and so I think a lot of it was learning on the fly about it. but also for me, my idea of success in restaurants and this is my take on it in terms of when I look at successful restaurants and I guess my version of success is 11 Madison Park and Atomix you always have a strong partnership, so you always have partnerships with
00:34:59:23 - 00:35:27:01
Speaker 1
Two people, one being the chef and one being a restauranteur. So you have you had Will Guidara and then Daniel Humm and Atomix you have JP and his wife Ellia who oversees the front of house. And I believe in that wholeheartedly. And so even though I was close to the main development process, I will say that I didn't get involved until the chef asked me what I thought and he solicited my opinion.
00:35:27:01 - 00:35:55:04
Speaker 1
Otherwise, we tried our best to stay in our own lanes. And so I did what I did, which is marketing, the concept and just, you know, client relationships and the branding and the design, and the he came with the, with the actual menu. And then I helped title the dishes and just like the packaging of it and the presentation of it is something that I played a part in, but yeah, overall it was, it was, it was something that was very new to me.
00:35:55:06 - 00:36:13:00
Speaker 1
But we were just so excited to see what was at the market because it changes so frequently. I will say there is a challenge of working with the markets because it's not very scalable. sometimes they'll have what you need. Then next thing you know, you go next week. They don't have it. And they're like, yeah, we just don't have it.
00:36:13:00 - 00:36:37:08
Speaker 1
And that's just how they operate. you know, so it's that was a tricky part for us because sometimes, like, we'll just not have what we need. And so, just kind of planning around that was very difficult. But I think we, we were just so fascinated with what California had to offer. I mean, even, like, something as simple as a fruit, we would add a fruit in, in one of these farmers markets, and we're just, like, blown away.
00:36:37:08 - 00:36:53:15
Speaker 1
Like, I just think the freshness is incredible. And if you really think about it, most of the fruit or everything, I learned that a lot of is actually not grown in California, but it has to go through California first. And so even in New York to the fruit, our produce you get doesn't come straight from wherever. It's it's coming from.
00:36:53:15 - 00:37:12:14
Speaker 1
You actually go through California first. So you're really gets like the leftovers and and then like the second hand and stuff. So we get the freshest produce here in Cali. so yeah, I mean it was, it was really, really fun experience for me to be able to get that close to the food. We didn't see too far, and it was very difficult to plan ahead at the time because of Covid.
00:37:12:14 - 00:37:33:15
Speaker 1
And so we honestly only saw like a month out. And so, for example, we did the first got more thing about the second one, and the first was really took off and really resonated with people. And it was booked out instantly and we felt like there was a need and market for it. So our thought at the time was, let's just do different iterations of these.
00:37:33:17 - 00:38:00:07
Speaker 1
And then the second thought that came to me from the scalability perspective was like, dude, like, we can't just keep cooking on on my place because we wanted to do more orders, but there's only so much you can do out of a home or house. And so I've an apartment. and so we decided to, I felt like the best move forward was to partner up with an existing restaurant for the scalability part of it.
00:38:00:07 - 00:38:17:14
Speaker 1
But I think what we want to gain from it was very different. you know, we're not partners anymore, but like, I think the biggest thing was he wanted to introduce himself and his brand and, you know, as a chef. And for me personally, I just wanted to have fun. Like, I just wanted to like it was so bleak in L.A. at the time.
00:38:17:14 - 00:38:36:18
Speaker 1
And this was and I was so depressed for this sustained period of time that having something to look forward to and work on for me was more than enough, you know, and it was my brand, our brand. And, this was the first time that I had gone written about about in the press and food media, you know, so it was a really interesting experience.
00:38:36:20 - 00:38:59:14
Speaker 1
I felt like it was the first time where actually the work that I put in, I benefited from it directly. Right. so that was like the biggest kind of change for me. but yeah, we really just took it month to month, man. And then, we did a second dosirak at Hanchic. And the Hanchic was a really great choice for us because we wanted to, first of all, try a different neighborhood.
00:38:59:16 - 00:39:21:11
Speaker 1
And then secondly, we wanted to honestly work with, with a Korean restaurant. Just made the most sense for us. and then when we met them, there were around the same age as us as well. And so we really just, hit it off real quick. And, we decided to do a collaboration with them. So they did, you know, we split the menu in half, and then we collaborate on the rice and the soup together.
00:39:21:13 - 00:39:51:02
Speaker 1
And, that also did really, really well. And I remember shucking mussels like pounds and pounds of mussels to like 2 or 3 in the morning, man. Like it was a grind then. I used, like I skipped meals like it was, it was, it was the most it was so intense around that time, because we wanted to serve as many people as we could, then that was like the goal for us then when we were at Hanchic was like, let's, let's try to open this up, you know, because in January, there's only so much we could do.
00:39:51:02 - 00:40:13:05
Speaker 1
We need to put like a cap on it. and that that in itself was like a really fun experience, just like being able to sleep and then get up and then you go into the kitchen, you're at work. You know what I mean? but yeah, like that. So the second one, we did at Hanchic and then, my chef friend and I split ways.
00:40:13:07 - 00:40:32:11
Speaker 1
but then I partnered up with me personally. Have I partnered up with Hanchic and we did a, banchan concept, and that's something I've always wanted to do personally. And, if you've tried it or if you've seen it, it comes in a beautiful box with nine grids. And the backstory behind it was that was the box I always wanted to use since day one.
00:40:32:13 - 00:40:49:21
Speaker 1
But there were supply chain issues and I never got around to using it. So once I finally got it, I had the idea of doing a Gujeolpan And Gujeolpan actually just means, like nine nine dishes literally translates to nine dishes. And I wanted to create a fun experience where people can make a little rap out of it.
00:40:49:23 - 00:41:10:21
Speaker 1
and this concept actually originated long time ago, in the Joseon dynasty in Korea. And it was actually just reserved for, like, royals, people that had a lot of money. And, it was really inaccessible. And so my idea was like, hey, let's make this more accessible. let's make it more modernized in the way of using what we know, the ingredients here in California.
00:41:10:21 - 00:41:35:06
Speaker 1
So it was like this kind of like California modern take on Gujeolpan and then still keeping the same format of like two rices and two soups and all that I feel like, which was what we came to be known for. and then, yeah, we did, we did that. And then I wanted to I had the ambition of making them a more of a, a cultural brand, and I think food was the obvious starting point.
00:41:35:08 - 00:42:06:13
Speaker 1
But for me, I became much more passionate about, like, showcasing different things about Korean culture. You know, we have so many holidays too, in Korea that I felt like people in America didn't know about. And so I wanted to kind of explore different parts of that. And so slowly but surely, I kind of strayed away from food, and doing more cultural events.
00:42:06:15 - 00:42:30:09
Speaker 1
Okay. So the mission always was to showcase more about Korean cuisine and culture. It was about celebrating it, championing it, and just sharing it with people. And that's always been the mission. I feel like the vehicle changed throughout the throughout the year. You know, initially we did it through dosirak and the food, and then at some point I realized that for me to have a bigger effect on this, and also you have to realize from a practical standpoint, I'm not a chef.
00:42:30:11 - 00:42:54:16
Speaker 1
And so once those chef partnerships ended, I felt like my strong suit is in curating and collaborating and bringing people together. And, I looked at the calendar for this year and I wanted there were a few holidays I really wanted to hit, and one of the biggest ones being Chuseok. and Chuseok is kind of like, equivalent to Korean, Thanksgiving here in the States, but in Korea.
00:42:54:18 - 00:43:18:01
Speaker 1
And it's also the same time as, Mid-Autumn Festival and a lot of Asian countries celebrate, Mid-Autumn Festival. They have their own take on it. And so I wanted to showcase that, through the Naemo brand. So I think around over the year, it has evolved from me doing these food pop ups into showcasing the cultural side of Korea.
00:43:18:03 - 00:43:46:02
Speaker 1
And showcasing our heritage and holidays that we celebrate. And I think now it's become this thing where I interpret it through my lens, through my Korean American lens, and try to make it as approachable as possible to people while maintaining the root and the tradition and the heritage of it. Because I think that's so important to preserve. and so that's kind of how it's evolved, and the projects that follow after.
00:43:46:02 - 00:44:07:19
Speaker 1
So I've been doing a project every month. and so we have Chuseok in September, in October was Hangul Day. Hangul Day is the Korean alphabet. And so I want to celebrate the Korean alphabet. And so I collaborate with an illustrator and, Kioh whose was a, it was a dear friend and also a tea importer. And so we did a Korean tea box.
00:44:07:19 - 00:44:28:05
Speaker 1
So it was like a Korean tasting cream teas only because they're really hard to come by. You see a lot like Chinese teas and Taiwanese teas. But Korean teas, are not as widely known. And so we want to raise more awareness with that. So we made a, a box out of that. and we have one more project in the works, too, for December.
00:44:28:07 - 00:44:45:14
Speaker 1
Being Korean American and being in between, we have everyone has a very different experience growing up as an Asian American, and everyone has their own take of like, what's traditional and what sign that this is a whole nother episode, right? Like what's authentic and what's traditional and things like that. But I just want to interpret through my lens.
00:44:45:14 - 00:45:02:03
Speaker 1
And I felt like that was the most authentic version of myself because I'm Korean-American and I felt like I understood both worlds. And, that's something that, you know, I thought about. And yeah, I'll be honest, like, there were some people that are like, this is not Korean food. And I'm like, yeah, it's not Korean food. It's it's Korean American food.
00:45:02:04 - 00:45:30:05
Speaker 1
It's never been done before because it's the first of its kind. And there were other people. Koreans are like, hey, this is pretty cool. Like, I like how you updated this, this dish, or I love how you presented it in this way. And, and I think that's something that will be a continuous challenge for people in this space, the sandbox where you have these new up and coming chefs that are Korean American or Asian American and they're doing their own take on the food that they grew up eating.
00:45:30:07 - 00:45:51:16
Speaker 1
I think there will always be a debate over what's authentic or what's not, but I beg the question, why does it have to be authentic? You know, as long as you're staying true to you and your experiences growing up, I deem that as authentic to to the to the chef or to the owner. So, we we definitely had experiences with that.
00:45:51:16 - 00:46:15:08
Speaker 1
But I think through it all, what I've learned is this has been a full circle moment for me. Like you said, I think growing up, I always thought in terms of I had to be one or the other, but now I'm like, you know what? I think being in this in-between is so beautiful. And, and I and I see people resonating a lot these days with Korean everything.
00:46:15:08 - 00:46:41:03
Speaker 1
Man a k beauty to obviously entertainment with Parasite and Squid Game. And now we have the first Korean-American like Muppet. It's it's so crazy for me to see these parallels in different industries. And I think food is inevitably the next thing. And I think that was one of the things I thought about a lot when I first moved here and I first launched Naemo, was I knew this was going to be the next big thing.
00:46:41:05 - 00:46:59:03
Speaker 1
but I think for me, I, I want to play a bigger part. Like, I'm not interested in just just the food aspect of it, but like you were saying, I think there's a lot of artistry that goes into it. And I'm more interested in bringing together, like, artists and makers and founders and, creating a platform for all of us.
00:46:59:03 - 00:47:21:20
Speaker 1
I think it's something I'm quickly realizing because there are people doing amazing things here in LA, but I don't think anyone's like bringing them together and showcasing our collective talent and identity. And that's something I'm very passionate about. and so, I mean, this is like an exclusive, but like, never was going to be rebranding in the new year.
00:47:21:21 - 00:47:46:05
Speaker 1
It's good. It's going to have a new name and new identity. And, and a lot of it is because a lot of people associate it still with the food part of it. and I want to kind of go away from that and then go into more of the cultural space. I'm dropping the name, and it's going to be changed to Maum and Maum is spelled M-A-U-M, and that is a Korean word for it has kind of a double meaning.
00:47:46:05 - 00:48:09:09
Speaker 1
So it can mean the heart and the mind and the name is honestly really, because I want to work with people that have the same intentions and with, with this kind of like collective, honest heart and mind. And I want, I'd like to do things with a lot of like genuineness you know, and I pay a lot of attention to little details.
00:48:09:09 - 00:48:35:17
Speaker 1
I think that does stem from my fine dining days. And, and I want to continue doing that. And so that's the new name that we're going to be operating under. and we're going to move away from food pop ups and doing more, workshops and classes. So how to make rice cakes to how to wrap pojagi which is like a traditional wrapping cloth, to how to make incense like Korean incense, to how to make tea, you know, and then the other thing that we're going to be doing is we're going to be doing a market.
00:48:35:19 - 00:48:55:01
Speaker 1
so we're going to be doing a monthly market where we bring together different Korean American makers and founders. And so you can come, there will be like twenty plus vendors, and some of them might be selling food, but some of them might be something like ceramics or merch, or just different goods. Right. and so that's kind of like where the brand is transitioning into.
00:48:55:03 - 00:49:14:22
Speaker 1
Yeah. Then kind of stemming away from the food part of it and to just as kind of this catchall collective, platform for other Korean-American makers and artists.
00:49:15:00 - 00:49:33:02
Speaker 1
I'm not gonna lie, it was so hard in the beginning. and I felt that I didn't belong here for a lot of reasons. I think any New York transplant. You think it's too slow, you hate you. There's too much traffic. And just a usual kind of things that you hear about people that move here from a place like New York.
00:49:33:02 - 00:49:49:12
Speaker 1
I went through myself and I'll. I'll be honest, I didn't like it, you know, I didn't like I really want to go back. But then what I learned is I had to go through I just had to double down and go through it. And now I love it here. like you were saying, I think I found my place here, and I'm really excited for what's to come.
00:49:49:12 - 00:50:24:13
Speaker 1
I think, I know for a fact that a lot of Korean restaurants that exist in New York are coming to LA, and I think we're going to see that renaissance happen soon, too, in the food scene. and I want to be there along with it, too. Right. but at the same time, it's taking a step back and doing what I've been doing, and creating more opportunities for other korean-americans like, I feel like I had my moment and I had the spotlight early on this year, and I guess personally going through that, it was like I was on a rocket ship, you know, like every week there was a write up L.A.
00:50:24:13 - 00:50:46:15
Speaker 1
Times Infatuation Eater, KCRW, and it was such a thrill, to be honest, and I felt like it vindicated and validated everything I had done for the past ten years, like working my ass off at all these other restaurants, typically under a white chef, to be honest. And now I got my own brand and people are realizing and recognizing what I'm doing.
00:50:46:15 - 00:51:05:05
Speaker 1
And so having gone through that experience firsthand, I really want other people to experience that for themself. I think if anything I learned from COVID is more people are realizing, you know what, fuck it. Like I'm going to do my own thing. I'm going to do my own brand, I'm going to create my own opportunity, and I want to help them like I want to.
00:51:05:08 - 00:51:08:21
Speaker 1
I want to be alongside for that ride, and I want people to experience what I did earlier this ear, and it was so life changing. and so I, I think that's what is keeping me going. And that's I think that's my space. I think that's what I'm meant to do in L.A.. I think it's creating a community, bringing people together, showcasing their talent because there's so many talented people in LA.
00:51:28:11 - 00:51:49:18
Speaker 1
and I think it just takes someone to, to create and package and present everything in a certain way. And that's something, you know, I think I do fairly well, and I'm really passionate about. There is one person in particular that I'll be working very closely with. He's going to be a co-founder in my new brand. his name's Kioh Park, and he has his own tea brand and his teas,
00:51:49:23 - 00:52:11:07
Speaker 1
I've collaborated with him before. his teas are incredible. I think Korean teas and tea somms are so overlooked. and doesn't get any attention it deserves as it's Chinese or Taiwanese counterparts. And that's always been my thing, right? So like the dosirak, too, bento boxes were all the rage and I felt like, where's where's the Korean take on it?
00:52:11:09 - 00:52:27:16
Speaker 1
we have our own bento box called dosirak, Right. And so kind of with that same it's the same kind of philosophy. I feel like with teas I there's so much opportunity there and I'm really hyped on it because, well, we're going to be launching. So the other thing with, with MAUM is we're going to have our own in-house brands.
00:52:27:18 - 00:52:48:21
Speaker 1
Yeah. So we're going to have our own ceramics line and we're gonna have our own tea line. And so it's going to be a Korean only tea line. We're going to be importing ceramics from Korea. so I'm really excited about him and working with him because I think he has so much potential. But as any founders know, listening to this, just to do it all yourself is, is is it's possible.
00:52:48:21 - 00:53:12:14
Speaker 1
But there's like a threshold. There's a limit to it. and I think he just needs the right person that can help market what he's doing because he has this. Like, for example, he has a crazy Lotus flower collection. And so you get the lotus root, which you can put as a tea. And then he gives you a separate flower stem that like opens up so beautifully that people just don't see like people don't know about A and B is so it's not approachable because they don't know how to use it.
00:53:12:14 - 00:53:33:20
Speaker 1
So I feel that I can come in and really help interpret it in a way that people get excited about it, and educate people on it too. So yeah, he's someone that I'm really hellish about that to, to a degree where I'm partnering up with him. and I think the two of us with what we have, he has great connections in Korea, actually, with a lot of Korean artists.
00:53:33:22 - 00:54:04:20
Speaker 1
we intend to bring a lot of people from Korea over here, whether through the ceramics or teas. but, yeah, I want to just be this kind of incredible place where we have our own in-house brands, help market other Korean Americans. And, yeah, it's this crazy celebration of all these talented people.
00:54:04:22 - 00:54:25:17
Speaker 1
China has a prolific history, a really, really long stated history. They've never been invaded. They've invaded others. and Japan. Japan is the same too They're both they have a rich history and Koreans do as well. But our history, does involve those other two countries in a really bad way. Obviously, we've been invaded and all that.
00:54:25:17 - 00:54:51:11
Speaker 1
And, you know, Korea wasn't liberated till 1945, so it hasn't been its own country for a long time. it's still very new country. But when you look at where the country is now from, what is this now like 70, only 70 years ago? It's it's so strong, you know, it's so crazy to look at. And, and then the other thing you have to look at is immigration patterns in America.
00:54:51:13 - 00:55:12:18
Speaker 1
the Chinese came first, followed by the Japanese and then Koreans. So we've they've always had a leg up on us in terms of generations. So it's really easy to find like a third or fourth generation Japanese, Japanese American or Chinese American. But we're just now starting to see like a third generation Korean American. So they just have been around for a little bit longer as well.
00:55:12:20 - 00:55:39:02
Speaker 1
and so Korean culture and Korean, you know, Korean Americans, we're still like, we're still relatively new in the States. and then also from just a numbers standpoint, I mean, we all check China. What? China, China is like the most populous country in the world. So obviously, you know, that's that's that. But the other thing, that I read about, and I can send you this as a reference, but it talks about like, Korea's soft power.
00:55:39:04 - 00:56:02:10
Speaker 1
So everything's been very intentional up to this point with K-pop and K-drama like, it's kind of been it's kind of crazy. It's all been planned by the government. So they know that they're small country right, they are a peninsula, and they realize that for them, for the Korea to get to where it is now, you can't compete with China and Japan with raw materials or resources.
00:56:02:10 - 00:56:26:11
Speaker 1
We have to compete with them with culture. And so they invest a lot, a shit ton of money to making sure that K-pop is where it is now. And and the movies are where it is now. Right. And so I think that played a really big part in it. And then it just kind of over time that there's been this domino effect, snowball effect, and, you know, that it's it's really becoming mainstream.
00:56:26:11 - 00:57:01:10
Speaker 1
And the flavors are amazing, like Korean flavors. I think I've, I've always been palatable for Americans and like for the American palate. So I think it was just a matter of time when you look at all of those things. and to your point, I think like this, this is I'm really happy about it. this is it's a really great time for, Korean Americans and just Asian Americans in general as as much shit as this community has gone through the past year, especially for, our elders and just just Asians in general my, my girlfriend got attacked actually, like, this year, earlier this year.
00:57:01:11 - 00:57:30:22
Speaker 1
so for me, when, like, stuff like that happens, it really lights a fire up my ass and makes me realize that I need to work harder. I need to do my part in educating people about, us, about korean-americans, about Asians. And I think it's a lot of it is, you know, it's really unfortunate, obviously, and it was really difficult for me, but I think, I took it as we just we just have to work harder, you know, we have to share more about our culture.
00:57:30:22 - 00:57:57:19
Speaker 1
And I think that's what's motivating me a lot, to go down the path of cultural projects and cultural things rather than just food. and so, yeah, man, I think I think this is the time, for us to do what we're doing, and I can it be honestly couldn't be happier about where we are right now. And I think in the years to come, I hope more Asian food and culture becomes more mainstream.
00:57:57:20 - 00:58:17:16
Speaker 1
in fact, what is it, the British? What is that? The dictionary? I think the Oxford Dictionary. they made some Korean words like English. Yeah. And I think they added a ton of words into the dictionary this year. And so I think it's just I think it's going to be great. I really think, we're headed in the right direction.
00:58:17:16 - 00:58:48:04
Speaker 1
I would love to see more diversity. I want to see more people of color, in different spaces here in America. So what? I'm going to continue doing my part as well, you know, in showcasing other korean-americans I'm really appreciative of obviously chef JP and Le support of what I'm doing and I, I think Naemo I would go on record and say Naemo probably would not exist if Atomix didn't exist because they really made me realize that this is a possibility.
00:58:48:06 - 00:59:18:17
Speaker 1
And so I continue to root for them and I continue to look up to them. A lot. They are definitely an inspiration. And, you know that they have a lot of fun projects coming up too, and it's great. I really, really learned a lot from them and I really appreciate their support till this day. And, you know, there were times where I had a lot of things I was going through that I was able to kind of, go back to LA about and get a lot of mentorship, too.
00:59:18:17 - 00:59:39:04
Speaker 1
So it's it's all love, you know, and and I am so appreciative of everybody this year, as well. You know, as, as Naemo comes to a close on his first chapter, I feel like a big weight has been lifted from my shoulder as well. I think a lot of it was really tied into the food portion of it.
00:59:39:04 - 01:00:03:01
Speaker 1
And, my ex chef, I wish everybody well, but at the same time, I'm really ready to move on from from what it was, and kind of like being able to go out on my own, on my own terms is, is very freeing as well. So I'm appreciative of those two in particular. But I'm very appreciative of you and everyone that's tried the food and just I that I've been in contact with.
01:00:03:01 - 01:00:17:20
Speaker 1
It's just been an incredible year. And, yeah, I'm super grateful.
01:00:17:22 - 01:00:38:09
Speaker 1
Restaurant wise, I would say I think Ryan Needle is doing a really great job of highlighting, Cantonese food. I think his food is one of the best in LA right now in Silver Lake. So needle is a really big pick for me. And, I was at Shifa the other day as well. I think the guy's a chef.
01:00:38:09 - 01:01:01:15
Speaker 1
Are doing a really, really terrific job. It's a family run business. and then another meal that I had that I really liked was a place called, Bistro Na's out in kind of the SGV area. there were Michelin star Chinese food as well, that I'm really, really pumped about. And, yeah, you think there's so much, there's so much, so many great Asian spots coming up right now.
01:01:01:16 - 01:01:24:11
Speaker 1
especially in the modern sense. So really, really happy, you know, to see what's coming. I think there's so much opportunity in LA, and, I will say that again, you'll see a lot of your restaurants coming over here opening up their, second, third, fourth location.
01:01:24:13 - 01:01:44:09
Speaker 2
Thanks for listening, everyone. For links and resources about everything discussed today, please visit the show notes in the episode. And if you want to support the podcast, the most effective way to do so is hit the subscribe button on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other platform you're listening in from. Sharing the show with your friends and social media is always appreciated.
01:01:44:11 - 01:02:16:18
Speaker 2
Shout out to Sean Myers for creating the awesome original music graphic elements made by Jason Cryer show is produced by Homecourt Pictures. You can always reach out to me at JordanHar0 on Instagram and Twitter, and follow the show at three. It's @prixfixepod on Instagram. Sorry, my French is terrible. I just call the prefix pod or email us via prixfixepodcast at gmail.com.
01:02:16:20 - 01:02:21:10
Speaker 2
I appreciate every second of your attention and support and look forward to seeing you on the next one.