Abang Yoli's Chef Jamie Yoo opens up about bringing Korean fusion to Minnesota
Abang Yoli's chef Jamie Yoo didn't know until he was a teenager that he wanted to be in a kitchen. It wasn't until his dreams of being a speed skater ended that he started considering alternative career paths.
"I told my dad I wanted to be a chef, and the my dad was like 'sure, you can do it. Just try it.' and one thing he told me was don't give up," said Yoo.
Yoo spent part of his childhood in Korea, learning to cook from his mother and grandmother.
"We didn't really go out when I was young. I just saw my grandmother and my mom making kimchi at home, and they were using a bathtub to salt the cabbage, about 250 pounds," said Yoo. "So I started learning from my mom, side by side."
Yoo moved from Korea to Seattle when he was 14 years old. After spending time learning at culinary school, he went on to work at Bellecour under James Beard Award-winning chef, Gavin Kaysen.
"When chef Gavin opened Bellcour in Wayzata, he offered me a job to work at the Bellcour and that's why I moved to Minnesota," said Yoo. "It was a great restaurant. [I] learned skills there, and the unfortunately after COVID, we closed. I just [didn't] know what to do after that restaurant closed."
Yoo said it was a dream of his to open this kind of concept restaurant — cooking the food similar to what he ate at home when he was a child. Abang Yoli isn't a fully traditional Korean restaurant.
"I saw Korean cuisine getting more popular and I was thinking maybe I can bring, instead of doing traditional Korean cuisine, maybe I can bring what I've learned to a restaurant. It was kind of a bit more for me," he said.
Yoo opened his current location in Minnetonka earlier this year.
"I mean, I love my concept right here," said Yoo. "It's a little bit of the not traditional way. It's a little bit of a mix. I think a lot of guests are scared about kimchi. We are doing a little bit of non-traditional kimchi, we call it kimchi-slaw. I give a sample and I mean 99% [of guests] are enjoying it. I'm very happy when I see guests enjoying my kimchi recipe. "
"My signature item is the Korean style fried chicken —chicken sandwich and the grilled sweet potato. I put a lot of effort on that grilled sweet potato that still has a memory too. When I was young, in Korea on the street they're selling this kind of grilled [sweet potato], and that flavor . . . the taste is just the best taste," he added.
"Do you ever what to go back to Korea to try and get more influence [from the food]?" asked WCCO producer, Chloe Rosen.
"Yeah I mean, it's just, every week there's a new things coming out," said Yoo. "It's just like, everything's changed so quickly there. So like corn dog was very popular, like so many things are like going crazy you know. So like I saw, I try to get inspired from those kind of street food instead of making a full dish."
Yoo is focused on his restaurant in Minnetonka, making it the best it can be. But he has dreams for the future.
"So my biggest goal is I want to have a bit of fine dining Korean cuisine. My finer goal is a sit down restaurant, a little bit more detail, and nicely plated and more like high technique, Korean fusion cuisine. That's my goal."
Yoo knows his dreams take a lot of work and a lot of long hours.
"I know my parents are worried about me, like how much I work here. But like I just don't want to give up and I just like, it's like today, I just felt so tired, and then when I came here and opened the door and turned on the gas [it] just kind of like woke me up a little bit. Now I feel great, you know? I'm just ready to work another 15 hours. I love cooking and I just love to talk, that's just makes me [feel] energy and then feel good."
