Jieun Beth Kim
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Today’s conversation is a really special one to me because I feel like it encapsulates so much of what I hoped this project could do — that is, to dive deep into what makes someone tick, to explore why they do what they do on a level that goes beyond practical concerns. Jieun Beth Kim isn’t someone I’d met before. But when we sat down to talk after she fed me the most delicious homemade Korean food, I feel like we found a connection that I hadn’t had before during one of these interviews.
Beth is the proprietor of Kimchi Rok, an artisan label of various homemade kimchis based on her mother’s recipe and technique. Honest to god, it’s some of the best kimchi I’ve ever had. That evening, she incorporated it into a beautiful fried rice dish, and served it as banchan alongside the rest of the feast. She’s been selling locally at Austin farmers’ markets since late 2020, but she’s about to scale into retail and probably take over the planet with it.
The other thing Beth is, though, is a brilliant visual artist. We spent a lot of time talking about her art, her process, and about the ideas and conceptions that inspire what she does. It’s in that exploration that I think I really found something I’ve been after since starting this project — a real window into the inner life of a wildly smart and talented person.
Jieun Beth Kim, along with her husband David, is the founder and proprietor of Kimchi Rok out of Austin, TX. You can see her artwork, including the works we reference in our talk, at her website, www.jieunbeth.com. She is the exhibit coordinator for Austin Central Library. And, she’s a hella good cook. I hope you enjoy our conversation.