Nam Park, proprietor of Mile High Restaurant and Cafe, has introduced many locals to Korean food, and now one of her acolytes features in a new documentary about the cuisine’s success in America. Locals go to Mile High not only to eat, but to learn. Nam has been offering Korean cooking lessons featuring a number of special dishes, but always including kimchi, the spicy fermented vegetable dish that accompanies most Korean meals. “If you don’t have Kim Chi with a meal it feels like it is not a complete meal,” Nam says.
Korean-language video platform YTV America’s documentary focuses on outreach by bloggers and others who promote not only the flavors but also the history and culture behind favorite Korean dishes. Many of those featured are not of Korean ancestry, including Pine Cove resident Jay Almer.
Almer was a chef in his 20s. “I’m a foodie I’ve written 1,300 yelp reviews. I like different ethnicities of food, it’s something I’ve always enjoyed. I’ve traveled to 109 countries. The most interesting thing to me is how, if you go back 20 or 30 years the only Asian foods you found were Chinese and Japanese. Then there are three others that have come into play in the last 20 years, Thai, Vietnamese and Korean. I would say it’s the most recent asian cuisine to gain popularity in the US.”
Almer spends most of his time on the Hill, but still keeps a place in Palm Desert. “Five years ago in Palm Desert there were zero Korean restaurants. It did not exist. Today we have six. Idyllwild is ahead of the curve, having Nam. She has done a phenomenal job introducing Idyllwild, a conservative food market, to Korean food. I’m going to bet 99% of the people here have never had it before (coming to Mile High.)”
In addition to being delicious, kimchi has a reputation as a super food. “It’s probably one of the healthiest foods you can eat. Low calorie, zero fat, zero carbohydrates, probiotics, cruciferous, fiber, everything you want. Koreans have a longer average life span than Americans, one of the lowest obesity rates.”
Nam’s classes are not only educational, Almer points out, they are also a great opportunity to meet your neighbors. “The beauty of her kimchi classes is that you get to meet other local people who share a common interest.”
When you sign up for a class with Nam, all materials are included. “You even get special kim chi gloves, all the way up to the elbows.” The chili powder is apparently hard to scrub off.
In addition to learning a recipe and all the techniques required to pull it off, you come home with pounds of Kim Chi. “It lasts for months, the flavor gets deeper and more complex over time. The spices do something to the Napa cabbage and the vegetables.”
In his segment of the documentary Almer shows the process of making kimchi, which looks easy. “The process is very easy, the challenge is getting high quality ingredients. I always tell people one of the most important things to being a good chef is having exceptional ingredients to make exceptional food. You need really good Napa cabbage, good fresh garlic, good onion, good apple, they have to be very fresh, very high quality. She uses the best hot chili powder, fish sauce, the shrimp in brine. When people tell Nam ‘you make the best kimchi in the world,’ it’s not just her recipe, it’s that she knows how to source great ingredients.”
“You come with empty hands, I buy and provide all supplies,” Nam explains, adding that usually she prepares a light meal for participants. “Sometimes I cook something special.” This time it will be “japchae,” Korean glass noodles, a festive dish for holidays, weddings and other celebratory events.
