In a weekly series of posts, we will present the Top 5 Most Korean-American cities, selected not only for their numbers, but also for their visibility in mainstream America. Our research was guided by the following criteria: population, famous and/or influential locals, programs, and hotspots.
#1 Los Angeles, CA
We’ve finally reached the end of our countdown, and Los Angeles is our #1 Most Korean-American city! After immigrating and settling in the city with dreams of a new life, many Koreans found themselves suddenly displaced after the 1992 L.A. Riots (Sa-i-Gu) took its toll on businesses and homes in L.A.’s Koreatown. But since then, K-town has progressively grown into a vibrant neighborhood that combines cultural traditions with new and modern attitudes. While this may be one of those Captain Obvious moments, let us prove it to you by sharing the countless reasons why the City of Angels tops our list.
Numbers
324,586 – Los Angeles metro area (population data compiled using the 2010 Census)
Visibility
Dr. Sammy Lee (left) and Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy (right)
Los Angeles is home to three Korean American pioneers: Dr. Samuel “Sammy” Lee, Susan Ahn Cuddy and K.W. Lee.
A doctor and two-time Olympic gold medalist in the past, Dr. Samuel “Sammy” Lee, the first Asian American to represent the US and win an Olympic gold medal in diving, is an inspiration to anyone with an ambitious dream. Last summer, a square in Koreatown was named after the diving hero.
Not only is Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddythe daughter of the first Korean married couple to immigrate to the U.S. in 1902, but she is also the first female gunnery officer appointed to the U.S. Navy; making her an important figure in Korean American history.
K.W. Lee, known as the “godfather of Asian American journalism,” is the founder of The Korea Times English Edition and still continues to serve on the editorial board of Color Lines Magazine. The award-winning journalist-activist also has a center inspired by his lifetime of service called the K.W. Lee Center for Leadership—a non-profit organization teaching youth how to become future leaders.
Phil Yu (left) and Paul “PK” Kim (right)
Phil Yu, the blogger behind Angry Asian Man, recently celebrated his 10th anniversary of being one of the most influential voices in our community. Through his posts, Phil has centralized Asian America by facilitating ongoing discussions about racism, activism and mainstream media’s (mis)representations of Asian Americans. This weekend, Phil will be judging Kollaboration SF 2 along with singer-songwriter Clara C.
Paul “PK” Kim is a multi-talented leader who not only created Kollaboration, the largest Asian American talent show in the world, but co-founded LiNK, a non-profit organization raising awareness to the pressing issues of North Korean refugees. PK is now the co-host and producer of MNET’s BPM: Beats Per Mnet, a daily series covering the latest and greatest in Asian pop culture. You can watch clips from the series here.
Ever since “coming out” as an undocumented immigrant, 21-year-old UCLA student David Cho is one of the handful of Asian American students putting a “human face” on the DREAM Act issue. Having recently won the Freedom From Fear Award, David founded ASPIRE (Asian Students Promoting Immigration Rights through Education) to unify undocumented Asian American students on and off campus. He’s also the 1st Korean American drum major of the UCLA marching band!
Programs
Kimchi Chronicles’ Marja Vongerichten visited KYCC this past July.
Established in 1975, the Koreatown Youth & Community Center (KYCC) offers programs and services specifically aimed towards immigrated and economically disadvantaged children, youths, and their families. Some of KYCC’s programs include clinical services, tree planting, and business education.
Through education, leadership development, and community organizing, the Korean American Coalition Los Angeles (KACLA) seeks to promote the civic and civil rights interests of the Korean American community in L.A. Last month, we covered KACLA’s 3rd annual KBBQ Cook-Off, which brought out all of the top KBBQ restaurants in K-town for all of the foodies’ delight.
Founded in the wake of California’s Proposition 8, Koreans United for Equality (KUE) unites straight and LGBTIQ Koreans in order facilitate a larger acceptance within the Korean community.
The Southern California Korean College Student Association (scKcSA) is the oldest and largest non-partisan, non-profit Korean American student organization in the US, connecting college students from eleven campuses in Southern California. scKcSA promotes a sense of Korean American heritage among students by serving the community and building a strong social network.
The KHEIR Center was initially founded in 1985 to provide quality healthcare for low-income, non-English speaking Korean immigrants. KHEIR now operates the only full-time community clinic in the country with Korean, Spanish, and English language capabilities and services 30,000 patient visits per year.
Hotspots
Roy Choi’s Kogi Truck was the food truck that started it all, and while many try to compete with it, nothing beats the original. Initially parking alongside curbs all over L.A., Kogi Truck now has expanded, making trips to cities in the Valley and in Orange County.
Cafe Mak is a great café to study for exams, finish up some work from the office, or catch up with your friends. The venue is spacious yet intimate with a peaceful ambience and offers free parking (gasp!) after 8pm.
Always the spot for running into people you know, Chapman Plaza boasts several sooljibs (Korean bars) and restaurants, a hookah lounge, and NRB. In the plaza, Gaam is one of the more popular sooljibs in K-town with its contemporary décor and vaulted ceilings.
Belasco is the new “it” club among today’s young Korean Americans in L.A. on Saturday nights. Hosted by Korean promo companies, Belasco’s events are notorious for keeping the party alive and well into the night. Make sure to get there early because lines have gone around the corner before. Other notable club spots are Le Circle and VR.
As a 21+ NRB, Bobos Karaoke is always a fun place to sing and drink the night away. Bobos offers rooms of many different sizes to accommodate groups of any size. With flat screens in the front and back of each room, you’ll feel a rock star performing for your friends while they sing along as your groupies.
With all of the KBBQ choices in L.A., we couldn’t narrow it down! Check out our list of L.A.’s Top 5 All-You-Can-Eat KBBQ spots to get your meat fix.
Locals
L.A. is home to Hollywood so we have to acknowledge the many Korean American actors and actresses who are eliminating stereotypes within the entertainment industry. ComedianAmy Anderson’s daughter Aubrey Anderson-Emmons will soon play the adopted Lily on ABC’s Modern Family while Jenna Ushkowitz sings her heart out on Glee. John Cho is coming out with the new Harold and Kumar movie this winter, and Sung Kang will star in Sylvester Stallone’s new action flick Bullet to the Head. Also be on the lookout for the Ktown Cowboys who are set to start filming their movie version of the wildly popular webisode series.
On the flip side, KAs are also making a name for themselves behind the camera. UCLA grad Grace Lee wrote and directed The Grace Lee Project, a documentary that tries to breaks down the “Grace Lee” stereotype (i.e. “reserved, dutiful, piano-playing overachiever”). Her new film on Detroit activist Grace Lee Boggs, American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, is currently in post-production. Previously based in L.A., Michael Kang has directed the Korean American feature West 32nd, which starred John Cho, Grace Park and Jeong Jun Ho. His new film, Knots, is scheduled to release sometime this year. Other filmmakers include Chil Kong and Dennis Lee.
Dumbfoundead and Priscilla Ahn
As for musicians: Priscilla Ahn‘s musical career blossomed after she touched base in L.A. to follow her music career dream. Her latest album, When You Grow Up, encompasses her growth and journey as an artist in every song. K-town’s new pride,Dumbfoundead (Jonathan Park), recently caught the attention of the L.A. Times with his track “Are We There Yet.” Singer-songwriter and YouTube extraordinaire David Choi, Linkin Park’s Joe Hahn, and Korea’s “National Fairy,” Lena Park, also call L.A home.
Known for his “dirty style,” David Choe is a K-town originated artist whose work can be distinguished by its raw, graphic and abd layered qualities. Dirty Hands: The Art and Crimes of David Choe, an art documentary based on David’s work, was recently released on DVD.
Chef Roy Choi, of Kogi Truckfame, has quite the jam-packed schedule. From 8 in the morning to roughly midnight, he’s out on the road, checking his various food trucks, dropping in on his restaurants Chego!, Alibi Room, and A-frame, and well… running his business. In an interview with L.A. Confidential, Choi described his day as “a kind of chaotic clockwork” filled with “traffic, dusk, and the Kogi smell of meat and tortillas.”
Life’s about to get even busier for Choi as he tackles yet another culinary project as new chef of Venice-based restaurant Beechwood. He plans to take Beechwood in a new and exciting direction by complementing casual American fare with creative cocktails and incorporating traditional carnival food favorites. Think coated ice cream bars, candied apples, and frozen bananas, all for grown-ups. If there’s one thing Choi knows, it’s delicious casual fare with a playful bent, so we’re excited to see what’s in store.
From LA’s Kogi Truck to NYC-based Korilla BBQ, Korean tacos are all the rage these days. Even bulk food mecca Costco’s caught on to the trend with Korean Brand Beef Street Tacos from Bamboo Lane available at select stores! With this kit, foodies can make their own delicious tacos without even having to step foot out of the house.
The DIY kit comes with a few essential ingredients: beef strips in Korean BBQ sauce, shredded cheese, hand-pressed tortillas, and, of course, Sriracha hot sauce. Food prep consists of microwaving beef and tortillas separately, and quick assembly—folks, that’s dinner ready all under 5 minutes! For even tastier tacos, add some kimchi, lettuce, maybe even some salsa, and you’ve got a taco to rival the best of them.
There was a lot of buzz last week about the New York Times article about the new wave of Korean taco shops popping up as a result of Kogi Truck’s success. Well Roy Choi of Kogi Truck fame should realize that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. Korean Taco Trucks and Korean tacos are popping up on menus across America, but the real question is if it’s really a way for Korean food to become mainstream by going fusion. Korean food is still considered exotic so how can Korean food become more accepted like sushi and Thai food? Perhaps these fusion tacos (Mexican/Korean) introduces the flavors of Korean food which will ultimately pave the way for adopting the other delicacies that are popular like the tried and true kimchi. You can ask different Koreans and you’ll get different opinions on the possible mass acceptance of Korean food equal to other Asian cuisines but only time will tell. At least Korean tacos are a good start.
It may not be a surprise to many that Roy Choi was announced as the “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine Magazine.
“Roy Choi is on a mission, and it’s a mission we completely and thoroughly support,” Cowin says. “He wants to bring great food to the street, not just to Twittering foodies. His food is delicious [and] original….
“This is the first time truck food has been nominated for this award, and it represents a change in the way food is delivered and consumed around America today.”
Here’s the full list of Food & Wine’s 2010 best new chefs:
Roy Choi of Kogi BBQ truck, Los Angeles
Matt Lightner of Castagna, Portland, Ore.
Clayton Miller of Trummer’s on Main, Clifton, Va.
Missy Robbins of A Voce, New York
Jonathon Sawyer of the Greenhouse Tavern, Cleveland
Alex Seidel of Fruition, Denver
Mike Sheerin of Blackbird, Chicago
John Shields of Town House, Chilhowie, Va.
Jason Stratton of Spinasse, Seattle
James Syhabout of Commis, Oakland
Korean chef Roy Choi who made truck food famous with his kogi tacos in southern California is now about to expand his food empire. What started a year ago with a single truck and a bunch of Twitter followers has now become an empire of 4 trucks and a soon to be restaurant in west L.A.
The new, still unnamed restaurant won’t use the Kogi name, Mr. Choi says, and he doesn’t plan to serve the taco. Instead he will try to update the rice bowl. “I see bacon-fat-studded chestnuts and fresh herbs on braised lamb; steak with a soft-poached egg and hand-crushed sesame seeds; organic rice, braised pork-belly, fresh-water spinach in a beautiful broth with sesame leaves,” he says, rattling off ideas. The food, he says, will be inexpensive enough that people who normally eat McDonald’s can afford it.
We named Roy Choi as one of the most influential Korean-Americans in 2009 and his impact was truly evident with new Korean taco trucks popping up everywhere and restauranteurs serving up their version of a Korean taco. Roy Choi embodies the hard working culture of Koreans and many Korean-Americans can relate to his life. He may not be the most eloquent guy but his focus and diligence has brought him this far and his belief in himself has turned the food world upside down. ”There is something very Korean about Roy being Roy,” says David Chang of New York’s Momofuku restaurants, who is also of Korean heritage and who met Mr. Choi last spring. “It’s about working your a— off, and not believing that you’re any good.”
Continuing our top ten of most influential Korean-Americans in 2009, we meet a man who stormed America with his food truck. How influential was Roy Choi and his Kogi Truck? The Zagat guide for 2010 began including the ratings of food trucks and it would be safe to say that the Kogi truck made the most influence on the Zagat guide to include this new category. How many restaurateurs can say they were profiled in the New York Times, LA Times, Newsweek, ABC News and many other national media outlets? Not many if any, but a little truck that zooms around southern California with Twitter followers may have made the biggest news in the food world in all of 2009. New trucks were popping up all around the country and this was a direct correlation to the success and popularity of the Kogi Truck. Of course David Chang is the most famous of Korean-American chefs, but it was Roy’s grassroots efforts and guerrilla mentality that got Kogi Truck on the American map. Roy Choi has a pedigree – a La Bernardin alum and Culinary Institute of America valedictorian - but he chose to do something very innovative with the invention of Korean Kogi Tacos and delivering them on wheels. No one else out there used Twitter and social media as a marketing tool better than the Kogi Truck. Roy Choi and the Kogi Truck were honored at this year’s prestigious Bon Appetit Awards, where he spoke in front of America’s top chefs and restaurateurs.
He (Roy Choi) spoke of delivering cheap, healthy, sustainable fast food to kids and adults in underprivileged neighborhoods who from birth to death eat nothing but fast food. (Later Choi explained to Eater that what they do would be the equivalent of an NYC truck going into the South Bronx or Bed Stuy at midnight). He spoke of starting with $1,500 and a family of co-workers and growing it into a 53 person company. He got a standing ovation. Ten minutes later, reps from both the Today show and the Food Network were scheduling spots with Kogi.
Roy Choi and the Kogi Truck is #9 on our list of top ten most influential Korean-Americans in 2009.
If you don’t know about the Kogi truck, then you’ve been living under a rock. Roy Choi and buds started humbly with a truck and an idea to cook and sell kogi tacos on the streets of LA. It’s taken the country by storm and it seems like everyone is trying to start-up a truck. Who would’ve thought that truck food could be so popular. It caused such a craze that now food trucks are covered for the first time by the new Zagat guide for 2010. We covered these guys back in January and who would’ve thought they would explode onto the food scene like they have. Walk down memory lane with a video from the Kogi guys on how it all started.
This past weekend, the kings of the New York culinary scene came together for the Bon Appetit Awards. Big guns like D-Biggity, Dave Chang, Drew Nieporent, Nate Appleman, Jose Andres, and Michael Laiskonis gathered in the Bon Appetit Supper Club restaurant on 57th and 6th Avenue to celebrate the magazine’s new top ten list of culinary taste makers. Daniel Boulud, the famed chef made a funny crack at David Chang saying he wants to debut a new Korean sausage called Momofuckyou. The final speech came from Korean-American Roy Choi from the Kogi Truck, who stole the show by delivering a moving speech about the grassroots and guerrilla mentality of his taco truck operation. Can you say Korean?!
He spoke of delivering cheap, healthy, sustainable fast food to kids and adults in underprivileged neighborhoods who from birth to death eat nothing but fast food. (Later Choi explained to Eater that what they do would be the equivalent of an NYC truck going into the South Bronx or Bed Stuy at midnight). He spoke of starting with $1,500 and a family of co-workers and growing it into a 53 person company. He got a standing ovation. Ten minutes later, reps from both the Today show and the Food Network were scheduling spots with Kogi.
Dr. Sammy Lee (left) and Lt. Susan Ahn Cuddy (right)
Kimchi Chronicles’ Marja Vongerichten visited KYCC this past July.
Dumbfoundead and Priscilla Ahn
