Often found at theaters and museums, Kwon Mee-yoo has covered a wide range of cultural fields from K-pop and dramas to theater and fine art for over a decade. Now as K-Culture Desk editor, she tries to connect Korean culture with global readers through fresh perspectives.
INTERVIEW Bringing Korean soju culture to heart of Brooklyn
Irene Yoo, left, and Nick Dodge / Courtesy of Irene Yoo
By Kwon Mee-yoo
Irene Yoo's Orion Bar pours Korean American flavors into every glass
NEW YORK — "I think soju is just starting to gain traction in America," said Irene Yoo, a Korean American chef and content creator behind Yooeating.
Yoo's Instagram Reel demonstrating iconic Korean soju rituals, from conjuring a "tornado" in the bottle to rolling the glass on its face before finally drinking it, has amassed over 16.3 million views as of May 2024, highlighting the booming global fascination with this clear distilled spirit from Korea.
With her innovative approach to Korean American cuisine, Yoo has carved a niche for herself in the food industry.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in California, her culinary journey is deeply rooted in her Korean heritage, shaped by Korean dishes her mother prepared at home and summers spent in Korea. As she ventured into adulthood away from home, the nostalgia for her mother's cooking grew, steering her toward a path that would eventually lead to Yooeating.
"She was a very good cook, but she taught herself how to cook everything she wanted to cook, all the foods that she missed. I was always very inspired by that," Yoo said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Brooklyn, April 24.
This longing inspired her to revisit and share the flavors of her childhood as Korean American comfort food. The concept for Yooeating materialized as a series of pop-ups in Brooklyn around 2015, where Yoo aimed to intertwine Korean cuisine with other food traditions she had explored, such as Italian, Vietnamese, Cuban and Hawaiian.
"For example, trying Cuban food for the first time, I was like, ‘Oh, this pork dish is very similar to a Korean pork dish,’” Yoo said. “Then, when I was doing more research looking into the history, I realized that both countries have more similarities, such as they are both countries next to water and went through wars. They share a lot more of a similar history than you would think, even though they seem so different."
Yooeating's Korean-Hanukkah pop-up in December 2017 / Courtesy of Irene Yoo
As she tried to illuminate the connections between seemingly disparate cuisines, creating an experience of shared histories and flavors across different cultures, a variety of hybrid dishes came out, including Kimchi Carbonara.
"Italian food was something I ate a lot of when I was going to college and carbonara was actually one of the first dishes I taught myself how to cook," Yoo said, explaining how her experiment with pasta and kimchi adding a spicy and tangy twist became a crowd favorite.
Another popular offering was the Cubana, a sandwich inspired by Cuban cuisine but with a Korean twist, featuring Spam, kimchi, pickles and cheese.
"From there, I explored different facets of Korean food like 'naengmyeon' (cold noodles), 'anju' (food consumed with alcohol) or 'bunsik' (snack), which are parts of Korean foods that are very unique to Korea and so I wanted to try and make my own versions of that," Yoo said.
As her culinary creations gained popularity, Yoo expanded her reach online.
"When COVID hit, I decided that I wanted to share a lot of the recipes that I had made for pop-ups," she said.
This led to the launch of the Yooeating YouTube channel, which provided a platform for a wider audience to explore her Korean recipes. Yoo also collaborated with her friend and fellow food content creator, James Park, to establish KA KA Studio. Together, they began sharing stories about Korean and Korean American food, culture and travel.
A rendered image of Irene Yoo's Orion Bar, which will soon open in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood / Courtesy of Irene Yoo
Inventive soju cocktails
Melona Midori Makgeolli / Courtesy of Irene Yoo
To further her effort, Yoo is set to open Orion Bar in Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood, slated for mid-June, aiming to redefine how Americans enjoy soju, breaking it free from its traditional pairing with Korean barbecue. Yoo's vision is to create a space where soju can be savored on its own or as a key ingredient in inventive cocktails.
"In Korea, you mostly drink (soju) with food, but we want to bridge that gap. Maybe you just want to be at a bar and share soju with your friends," she said during an interview with The Korea Times, April 24.
Yoo shares the creative process for the cocktail menu that marries classic mixology with flavors of Korea with her husband and bar partner, Nick Dodge.
"Nick has a lot of great ideas from a cocktail perspective. We started with the classics, thinking about how we can infuse them with distinctive Korean flavors," Yoo said.
At Orion Bar, customers can look forward to trying soju flights, exploring the nuances between different soju varieties, and enjoying inventive cocktails such as the Soju & Tonic, which replaces traditional gin with soju and features a homemade tonic infused with yuzu and “kkaennip” (perilla leave), and a Martini with “dasima” (kelp) and shiitake mushroom, adding a refreshing twist to the familiar cocktail.
The menu also features other drinks such as Whiskey Sour, enhanced with hallabong (sweet tangerine from Jeju Island), persimmons and "misutgaru" (Korean grain powder), bringing a Korean twist to another classic.
For those looking for something more unique, the bar offers playful, nostalgia-inspired cocktails such as the Melona, a frozen concoction blending makgeolli (Korean rice wine) and flavors reminiscent of Korean melon ice cream bars.
"We also have a drink called Space Spam," she said. "It doesn't have actual Spam in it, but it’s sort of a tiki cocktail inspired by the flavors of Spam, using rum, 'gochugaru' (chili powder) and 'jocheong' (rice syrup). It’s about starting with something classic and seeing how we can interpret it through a Korean lens,” Yoo explained.
Yooeating's Kimchi Carbonara / Courtesy of Irene Yoo
What completes the drink experience at the Orion Bar is a tantalizing anju menu crafted by Yoo to perfectly pair with the bar's diverse soju and cocktail selections.
The menu includes an array of unique dishes, each bringing a creative twist on typical Korean drinking snacks.
"I'm really excited about the anju," Yoo said. "The original idea stemmed from just wanting to eat ‘ramyeon’ (instant noodles) with soju, which is a simple pleasure in Korea but less common in the U.S. So I want to recreate that experience here.”
To capture this essence, Orion Bar will serve two types of noodles. Spicy Ramyun, which is Shin Ramyun with egg, scallion and an option to add cheese, and Savory Ramyun, featuring Chapagetti noodles with brisket and a touch of truffle oil.
The menu highlights include Shrimp Chips with Myeongnanjeot Dip, pairing the popular Korean shrimp snack with the umami-rich flavor of ‘myeongnanjeot’ (fermented pollack roe) dip; Jogaetang, a spicy clam stew with "sujebi" (hand-pulled dough), reminiscent of a staple at Korean "pojangmacha" (street stalls); and Kimchi Carbonara, a hit from Yoo's pop-up days.
Customers try “Naeng-Pho" (cold noodle dish fusing Korean naengmyeon and Vietnamese pho) at Yooeating's Korean x Vietnamese pop-up in 2016. Courtesy of Irene Yoo
Evolution of Korean food
The rise of Korean cuisine in the U.S. has been meteoric, with K-dramas and K-pop amplifying interest in Korean food.
"When I started doing the Yooeating pop-ups, it was just when people were starting to understand what kimchi is or what gochujang is without having to explain. 'Oh, kimchi is fermented cabbage or gochujang is red chili paste.' … Now, it has progressed even more beyond the standard bibimbap or bulgogi. People are starting to understand and explore different parts of Korean culture regionally and that it's a huge diaspora of food and culture,” Yoo reflected on the evolution of this trend.
"Every time I go to H Mart, I see more and more products. I see more (Korean) shows and movies on Netflix that are popular. I hear more of my non-Korean friends watching things like 'Single's Inferno' or 'The Devil's Plan,' regardless of it being a Korean show or something from Korea. I think it's been more integrated into pop culture here.”
The increase in visibility and integration of Korean culture in the U.S. is shown through a significant rise in Korean dining establishments in New York and beyond.
"It's really amazing (to see how these developments) connect with the Korean community,” she added.
Yoo is set to elevate the soju culture with her forthcoming book, "Soju Party," slated for release in fall 2025. As enthusiasm for Korean culture surges across America, driven by K-movies, K-dramas, K-pop and K-food, Yoo sees a ripe opportunity to introduce the nuances of Korean drinking traditions to an American audience.
"This is the right time — people are really excited about it," Yoo said.
The book aims to serve as a comprehensive guide, offering insights into the history of popular Korean alcoholic beverages such as soju, beer and makgeolli.
"(The book will feature) how to drink soju — the rules and the etiquette, drinking games, ‘poktanju’ (bomb cocktail) as well as different cocktails you can make using soju and makgeolli and other Korean alcohols," she said, adding that the book will bring the vibrant spirit of Korean drinking culture to the forefront, inviting readers to embrace the full K-drinking experience.