Ji Hye Kim

Title: Contributing Writer

Location: Ann Arbor, MI

Education: B.A. Political Science and Economics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Expertise:

- Korean cuisine, dishes and cooking techniques, including but not limited to regional and country cooking, Buddhist cuisine, foods of the Korean diaspora, fermentation and preservation, special occasion and holiday dishes, food in mythology and folklore
- Korean culinary tradition and history, with specific references to old cookbooks from 15th century to now
- Korean heritage vegetables and fruit
- Michigan foodways
- Restaurant operations with sustainability, diversity, equity, inclusion and justice
- Open book finance

Experience

Ji Hye Kim is the award-winning chef-owner of Miss Kim in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Named one of Food & Wine's Best New Chefs of 2021 and a 2022 James Beard Award Best Chef semifinalist, Ji Hye aims to broaden the understanding of Korean cuisine through her cooking. At her acclaimed restaurant Miss Kim—named one of Ann Arbor's "Most Essential Restaurants" by Eater—her seasonal menu is inspired by ancient Korean culinary traditions, and adapted with local Midwestern ingredients.

Born and raised in Seoul, Korea, Ji Hye was introduced to cooking by her mother, a talented home cook who would make large batches of kimchi every fall with seasonal vegetables, dumplings for their annual New Year's parties, and rice cakes for the mid-autumn harvest festivals. When Ji Hye was a teenager, her family immigrated to New Jersey, and Ji Hye went on to study political science and economics at the University of Michigan, before pursuing a successful career in hospital administration. In 2008, at 27 years old, Ji Hye decided to switch to hospitality and immediately immersed herself in the industry, training across the storied Zingerman's businesses and the Rome Sustainable Food Project. She launched her first business, a Pan-Asian food cart named San Street, which she operated for four years, in partnership with Zingerman's. In 2016, Ji Hye opened her first restaurant, Miss Kim, which features a menu inspired by ancient Korean recipes and culinary traditions from her family, while highlighting bountiful and seasonal Midwest ingredients.

Ji Hye participated in the 2020 FoodLab Detroit Fellowship for Change in Food & Labor, the 2020 James Beard Chef Bootcamp for Policy Change and the 2021 James Beard Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. She is a board member of Mentorship, Advocacy, Pandemic relief, and the Power of Women (MAPP) and a member of RAISE: High Road Kitchens.

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