EP7 - Kimchi Smoke 100% American 100% Korean

In today’s episode Marcel Gomez is joined by Robert Austin Cho, chef/owner of award-winning restaurant Kimchi Smoke in Westwood, New Jersey. Robert started off with backyard BBQ before progressing to competitions, building a following and, eventually, creating Kimchi Smoke. Roberts’ food is American BBQ with a Korean influence, but don’t call it fusion!

When he started out, Robert had a 9-5 job in real estate. It all began when he saw an episode of Pitmasters on the Food Network and was fascinated by what he saw. Growing up in New Jersey, he hadn’t had a chance to experience real BBQ food, or have a real BBQ experience and the smoke drew him in. Robert began by spending most of his free time experimenting with smoking. He lived in an apartment, so he had to settle for a small, portable grill to start. It barely fit a rack of ribs if you cut it in half, but it was a start.

From there, Robert participated in a church BBQ competition with his Smokey Joe and a borrowed a 22-inch Webber Kettle. He won, and he also went on to win the second year. Following that, he went to the Big Apple BBQ in New York in 2010 and tried as much as he could, while asking as many questions as he could about the expert’s process. Robert officially started his BBQ journey in 2013, but before that he spent his time tasting as much BBQ from as many different places as he could to learn as much as possible. One of the main things he learned was that most places don’t do good brisket. His mission became to master brisket, if he could do that, he could do anything.

Inspired by Aaron Franklin, Robert dedicated his time to devouring any information he could about his process. It was a lot of trial and error and he realized there’s no one-size fits all recipe; it depends on your setup and what works for you. Robert knew he was close when he made brisket for his son’s birthday party and it turned out well. There’s an art to cutting and trimming brisket and it’s a real passion project. It can take up to 16 hours, it’s not something you can easily walk away from and just leave going.

Robert filed the paperwork for Kimchi Smoke a few weeks before his son’s birthday in June 2013. A few months later he participated in a local food festival as a vendor. This was a true test to find out if people like his food. It’s one thing for friends and family to say they like it when they are getting it for free, but it’s something else when people are willing to buy your food. While he wasn’t 100% about turning his passion project into a business right off the bat, Robert new he had something. He took it slow, he kept his 9-5 job and started to build up a following. He only had 2 vendor opportunities in 2013 but in 2014 he moved to a weekly gig at a flea market to help build his brand and get the name out there.

Preparing food for festivals was definitely a learning process. There’s a lot to manage and a lot of timings to get right. For Robert, the best BBQ you make should be what you cook at home. You don’t have as much to manage and there isn’t as much pressure as there is with an event or competition. It’s definitely difficult learning to balance cooking and also running a business. Robert’s biggest takeaway from his first festival experience was that it is a slow and humbling experience. He continued to be committed and understood the journey ahead of him.

Initially Robert would cook his food at his home, but as his popularity grew, he learned that there were stricter health codes to live up to. Health officials would come to his house to inspect his cooking. He realized after a few years that it would be easier to go to a commissary and cook on their premises instead. 

From 2014 to 2015, it all started happening for Robert and Kimchi Smoke. He was able to do pop-ups at restaurants and breweries. He has even had a beer collaboration with Rock Away Brewery in Long Island City. Now, Robert has created his own signature dishes with offerings like the Chonut and the Cholander Sammie. None of these things happened overnight and were refined over time. The Chonut started out as something he made for his kids that he ended up refining. Glazed donut, brisket, kimchi and bacon, what’s not to love?

Robert never intended to have a Korean influence on his food. He started out as a traditional American BBQ, but had to improvise his menu after there was another BBQ vendor at a festival. The influence stayed and evolved. Calling his food fusion doesn’t sit right with Robert. Just like him, his food is 100% American and 100% Korean.

When it came time to take Kimchi Smoke full-time, Robert had already been building his brand for a few years. One day he was driving home and spotted a for rent sign on a little place. He looked into it, found out it was low cost and on a one-year lease and he took the leap. His family was supportive but also concerned, the restaurant business is known for being a difficult thing to get a hook into. 

Now, Kimchi Smoke is based in Westwood, NJ. Robert decided to make the move when he had been receiving great press and the momentum behind the restaurant was building. His original building was too small and there was no way he would be able to grow the business with one table and no storage. Shortly after the move, Food Network reached out to him. It was surreal being on national television, even though it took a year to air. 

The business was going so well that Robert opened a second location in Mont Clair, NJ. It didn’t last for several reasons. It just didn’t feel right for him, the passion for the location wasn’t there. After a few months, Robert decided to pull the plug. It was difficult, but necessary.

Just like everyone else during 2020, Robert didn’t know what was going to happen. As a small business owner, the market is already unpredictable, but no one factors in global pandemics to their plans. For 2 months it was just him and a dishwasher. He put all his energy into willing the business forward. He credits his parents with his drive. They moved to America when he was 4 and fought everyday to make a life for their family.

Find out more about Robert and Kimchi Smoke here: 

https://www.kimchismoke.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kimchismoke/

https://www.instagram.com/robertaustincho/