[[MUSIC]]

I’M KASSATA BOLLMAN. 

TODAY MY GUEST IS CHEF JI HYE KIM.

SHE JOINS US FROM ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN…..

WHERE...CURRENTLY….. SHE’S THE CHEF & OWNER OF MISS KIM.

FOOD & WINE MAGAZINE NAMED KIM AS A BEST NEW CHEF IN 2021.

SHE GREW UP IN SOUTH KOREA….AND IT’S THAT UPBRINGING THAT SHAPES HER CUISINE.

TODAY WE’LL BE DISCUSSING…. 

USING HISTORY TO BREAK STEREOTYPICAL IDEAS: 

WHAT IT'S LIKE DEEP DIVING…. INTO HISTORICAL COOKBOOKS…& PIECING TOGETHER ALL THAT RESEARCH…. AND THOSE CLASSIC FLAVORS… ONTO A CURRENT MENU…

GOING WITH THE FLOW OF LIFE:  A QUICK STORY ON TIMING…AND THE BEAUTY OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN…. WHEN YOU CLEAR EXPECTATIONS FROM YOUR MIND…..

AND……

BUDDHISM & THE ART OF KOREAN TEMPLE FOOD: HOW THE MIND AND BODY ARE DEEPLY CONNECTED… TO THE FOOD THAT WE EAT….

SO I’LL START BY ASKING…..AS WE ALWAYS DO….CHEF KIM…..

 “HAVE YOU EATEN YET?”......

NOW …….THIS COULD BE A MEAL FROM TODAY …..

 …...OR….. IT COULD BE …...THE LAST MEAL…. THAT YOU HAVE A REALLY GREAT MEMORY ABOUT…..

IT COULD BE ONE FROM 10 YEARS AGO….. OR ANYTIME….

ONE THAT TRULY RESONATED WITH YOU?

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

USING HISTORY TO BREAK STEREOTYPICAL IDEAS

BEFORE OPENING MISS KIM YOU WANTED TO KNOW HOW YOUR ANCESTORS COOKED…I READ THAT YOU STARTED COLLECTING RE-PUBLISHED VERSIONS OF COOKBOOKS…. FROM ROUGHLY ….THE 14TH - 18TH CENTURIES…..

TELL ME ABOUT THE PROCESS OF TRACKING THESE DOWN, READING THEM …AND THE RESEARCH…. THAT INFLUENCED YOUR MENU THE MOST….

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

I ENJOYED READING ABOUT YOUR RESEARCH…. AND HOW IT BREAKS STEREOTYPICAL IDEAS….AND HOW LIBERATING THAT’S BEEN FOR YOU….

CAN YOU EXPAND ON SOME OF THOSE… FOR OUR LISTENERS….  AND TALK ABOUT TEARING AWAY…. THOSE PRE-CONCEIVED NOTIONS….?

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

GOING WITH THE FLOW OF LIFE

I’M GOING TO GO BACK IN TIME FOR A MINUTE….BEFORE YOUR RESTAURANT WAS OPEN….

AT THIS POINT, YOUR APPLICATION TO PARTNERSHIP WAS ABOUT TO BE APPROVED…..AND YOUR HUSBAND WON A FELLOWSHIP…. TO STUDY IN ROME FOR ONE YEAR.

YOU DECIDED TO JOIN HIM…..

YOU ARRIVE…..AND GET  INVOLVED WITH THE ROME SUSTAINABLE FOOD PROJECT…..

AND 

YOUR TIME THERE…. ENDS UP…. SHAPING YOU….. AND PREPARING YOU….. FOR YOUR RETURN TO MICHIGAN….

WHEN YOU GET BACK TO ANN ARBOR….THE SPACE WHERE YOUR RESTAURANT IS NOW LOCATED…. BECOMES AVAILABLE….AND THE REST…. IS HISTORY….

CHEF KIM, YOU DECIDED TO GO WITH THE FLOW…..AND THAT’S NOT ALWAYS EASY….AS HUMANS WE CAN GET IN OUR HEAD…OVER THINK THINGS…..

AT THAT TIME YOUR APPLICATION WAS ABOUT TO BE APPROVED….

ANOTHER PERSON MAY HAVE SAID  “THERE’S NO WAY THAT I CAN GO TO ROME”....

BUT GOING WITH THE FLOW…. AND NOT FIGHTING IT….ALLOWED YOU TO EXPAND AS A CHEF….AND THE TIMING WORKED OUT….. WITH A SPACE BECOMING AVAILABLE A YEAR LATER….

CHEF KIM, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR THOUGHT PROCESS DURING THAT TIME ….

AND ALSO PLEASE TOUCH ON THE IMPACT….. THAT ITALY HAD ON YOU…. AS A CHEF….

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

BUDDHISM & THE ART OF KOREAN TEMPLE FOOD

IN THE PAST YOU HAD A DISH ON YOUR MENU THAT WAS INSPIRED BY THE EATING HABITS OF KOREAN MONKS….

AND I READ THAT IN THE FUTURE…. YOU’D LIKE TO OPEN A SMALLER SPOT….THAT FOCUSES ON THE PLANT-BASED TEMPLE COOKING…OF KOREAN BUDDHISTS. 

TELL ME ABOUT THIS JOURNEY…WHAT’S PULLING YOU IN THIS DIRECTION?

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

I READ THAT KOREAN MONKS OFTEN SEE COOKING AND EATING….. 

AS SPIRITUAL…. AS WELL AS PHYSICAL PRACTICES…. 

PREPARING FOOD WITH A CLEAR MIND….

CHEF KIM CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THE MIND AND BODY CONNECTION…. TO THE FOOD THAT WE EAT?

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

SYNCHRONICITIES

HAVE THERE EVER BEEN ANY SIGNS OR SYNCHRONICITIES IN YOUR LIFE…. THAT LED TO NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOU….. IN THIS INDUSTRY? ……. 

IF SO, PLEASE DESCRIBE THE MOMENT….

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

FLOW STATE:

A FLOW STATE, ALSO KNOWN AS BEING IN THE ZONE…. IS THE MENTAL STATE WHEN A PERSON IS PERFORMING AN ACTIVITY….. AND IS FULLY IMMERSED…. IN A FEELING OF ENERGIZED FOCUS, CLARITY  AND ENJOYMENT…. IN THE ENTIRE PROCESS…..

IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE WORK….IT’S EFFORTLESS ATTENTION THAT YOU’RE GIVING THE ACTIVITY…..IT’S A EUPHORIC FEELING… IF YOU’RE FORTUNATE TO REACH THAT STATE.

IT’S DURING THIS ALTERED STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS…. THAT YOUR MIND FUNCTIONS… AT ITS PEAK….AND A SENSE OF HAPPINESS… FLOWS THROUGH YOUR BODY.

I’VE BEEN IN THIS STATE….I GET INTO IT IF I’M AT MY RESTAURANT WHEN IT’S CLOSED…. AND I’M THE ONLY ONE THERE….I MIGHT BE WORKING ON NEW DRINKS FOR MY MENU….MUSIC IS PLAYING….THERE ARE NO INTERRUPTIONS…JUST ME, INGREDIENTS & THE SOUNDS & BEATS THAT I’M VIBING OUT TO…..AND THE RECIPES FLOW….IT DOESN’T FEEL LIKE WORK….

AS A CHEF, HAVE YOU EVER REACHED THIS STATE…. WHILE COOKING?

IF YOU HAVE, PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR SURROUNDINGS…. LEADING IT UP TO IT….WAS THEIR MUSIC PLAYING, INCENSE BURNING, DID YOU JUST GO FOR A RUN OUTSIDE?

AND ALSO, WHAT DID IT FEEL LIKE BEING… IN THAT STATE?

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

TAKEAWAY:

CHEF KIM, THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR STORY WITH US …

I BELIEVE THAT THE JOURNEY…. IS ALWAYS GREATER THAN THE DESTINATION. 

IT’S ON THE PATH THAT WE LEARN, EVOLVE AND….. ENCOUNTER LESSONS…. THAT SHAPE US…. INTO OUR BEST SELVES.

I ALWAYS LIKE ENDING THE PODCAST…. BY ASKING…. IF THERE’S ANY TAKEAWAY THAT YOU’D LIKE TO LEAVE WITH LISTENERS…... THAT CAN POSITIVELY INFLUENCE THEIR LIVES.

IT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE JUST DISCUSSED,  A LESSON YOU’VE LEARNED ON YOUR JOURNEY…. OR GENERAL LIFE ADVICE THAT YOU LIVE BY ….…

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

AND CHEF KIM WHERE CAN PEOPLE FOLLOW YOU  ?

[[CHEF KIM DISCUSSES]]

OUTRO:

THANKS FOR LISTENING….AND IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY….... FOLLOW  “HAVE YOU EATEN YET?” ….WHEREVER YOU GET YOUR PODCASTS….

[[MUSIC]]