105: Weaving Ancient Korean Cookbooks with Local and Seasonal Food with Ji Hye Kim

When we think about “authentic” food experiences – what are we really explicitly looking for? Oftentimes the idea of authenticity can be exoticized to represent a particular type of ethnic cuisine at a specific time – or someone’s version of it. But in a diasporic world, there are ways to create a menu and recipes that reflect both local and seasonal food availability in a way that continues to weave food stories from the past into present life.

My guest this week is someone who is exceptionally good at blending the past and present into her dining experiences, Chef Ji Hye Kim.  She is the chef and managing partner of MISS KIM in Ann Arbor, MI. Ji Hye is inspired by her ancestors and their stories told through ancient Korean cookbooks, as well as her farmer neighbors in Michigan. Miss Kim’s food is simple and good, with the menu dictated by seasonality and locality following Korean culinary traditions.

Ji Hye grew up in Seoul, Korea and immigrated to the States at the age of 13. After graduating from the University of Michigan and a successful career in hospital administration, Ji Hye switched to the hospitality industry in 2008. Having trained at various Zingerman’s businesses and Rome Sustainable Food Project, she ran an Asian street food cart before opening a brick and mortar location in 2016. As well as providing convivial service and delicious food, Miss Kim has been committed to doing away with tipped credit and paying a fair wage to all staff since opening.

Ji Hye is a semifinalist for the James Beard Award Best Chef Great Lakes in 2020. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and as independent restaurants across the country are at risk, she was admitted to and participated in the James Beard Chef Boot Camp for Policy Change and Food Lab Detroit’s Fellowship for Change in Food and Labor. Recently Ji Hye was chosen as one of Best New Chefs 2021 by Food & Wine. She believes that service is an honorable profession and envisions a more delectable, sustainable, and equitable future for the industry.

She’s on the show today to talk about her experiences entering the culinary world at a “later” age (it’s really not that late), and how she’s making space in her restaurants for new ways to think about food, community, and seasonality.

Learn More about Ji Hye Kim: