Episode 134: From Miss Kim to Little Kim: Ji Hye Kim on Opening Little Kim, 10 Years of Miss Kim, and Evolving Korean Cuisine

About this episode

Chef Ji Hye Kim discusses her new restaurant Little Kim, the evolution of Miss Kim, and her approach to contemporary Korean cuisine.

In this week's episode, we welcome back returning guest Ji Hye Kim. Ji Hye is an award-winning chef, including a Food & Wine Best New Chef and five-time James Beard Award semi-finalist, and she is a powerful cultural voice redefining contemporary Korean cuisine in the United States. She is the chef and owner of Miss Kim and Little Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where her cooking beautifully bridges time-honored Korean traditions with Midwestern seasonality and sensibility. You may remember our conversation in Episode 39 back in 2022, where we explored her journey as a chef, the inspiration behind Miss Kim, and how she brings traditional Korean cuisine to life using local Michigan ingredients. In this episode, we catch up on everything she has been working on — including a new restaurant, a major milestone, and how she and her team create delicious, approachable vegetarian dishes rooted in Asian American tradition. Learn more about Ji Hye's restaurants at misskimannarbor.com and littlekimannarbor.com , and find her on Instagram at @chefjihyekim . Podcast Show Notes: https://kitchenconfidante.com/from-miss-kim-to-little-kim-with-chef-ji-hye-kim

People in this episode

Host: Liren Baker

Guest: Ji Hye Kim

Topics covered

• Korean cuisine
• restaurant opening
• vegetarian dishes
• cultural voice
• Midwestern seasonality
• chef journey

Keywords

• Ji Hye Kim
• Little Kim
• Miss Kim
• Korean cuisine
• vegetarian dishes
• Ann Arbor
• James Beard Award
• Food & Wine
• cultural voice

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Miss Kim, Little Kim, Food & Wine

Places: Ann Arbor, Michigan

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