As a part of our series on spotlighting Asian-American owned businesses we sat down with Founder of Food by Sung, Sung Kim.
Tell us what your company does and why it’s noteworthy.
Food by Sung is a private dining and catering company providing modern American comfort food with global influences. We provide fine dining services for special occasions at client’s chosen locations, including their homes. Our core team consists of professionals with experience in Michelin starred restaurants, and we strive to exceed the expectations of the clients and their guests each and every time. Our returning clients come back, knowing their next experience will be better than the last.
Share some of the challenges you’ve faced and how you’ve overcome them.
I see challenges as problems to solve, rather than something to overcome. And there are a lot of problems to be solved in a kitchen, especially when it’s a different one at each event, not to mention an unfamiliar one.
We are often given dietary restrictions. Being able to create a dish without compromising the lack of necessary ingredients, or anyone else noticing for that matter, is something we happily take as a challenge. Having non-serious food allergies myself, being able to eat without worrying about the consequences, especially something I enjoy, is a special experience.
Most recently, we were asked to create a Korean inspired Pan-Asian menu, and one of the hosts had soy intolerance. Soy is pretty much in everything, especially in seasonings like soy sauce and miso, which are an essential part of Korean cuisine. Even though there are products that claim to be a substitute for soy sauce, nothing can replace that. We had to come up with different combinations of seasonings that produced the flavors that really came close to having soy sauce in those dishes, such as bulgogi. In the end, the only one who noticed soy sauce wasn’t there was the host with soy intolerance. This was the first time he had no symptoms after eating the Korean dishes he loves so much.
Describe the moment you were proud of being Asian American since you began your entrepreneurial journey.
Everyday, I am. I embrace all things Asian cuisine, even when we are cooking Italian or Mexican dishes. I often use Asian ingredients in many dishes; in vinaigrettes and various sauces, not to make it taste “Asian”, but to add depth and dimension. As a Korean American, I am proud of our deep connection to fermentation; kimchi, gochujang paste, fish sauce, preserved fish… So much respect for artisans who mastered the art of fermentation.
Most recently, it’s been amazing to watch other Korean American chefs using their training in fine dining as a stepping stone to embrace Korean cuisine, and beyond.
Sung Kim, Owner and Founder