Today we’d like to introduce you to Helen Kim.
Hi Helen, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I was born in South Korea but raised mainly in Atlanta. I started working in the hospitality industry at a young age doing day-to-day operations for my parent’s cafe. I moved to Miami in 2010 and worked as a bartender/server at a variety of restaurants in the city, like Burger & Beer Joint, SUSHISAMBA, Yardbird, Broken Shaker, and Faena.
Later, I joined the team at Grove Bay Hospitality Group as their bar supervisor in Brickell and eventually the Beverage Program Developer. I had the opportunity to create the beverage program for several of their restaurants in South Florida (including Stubborn Seed & Stiltsville). While I was with Grove Bay, I created Liquid Culture Consulting to build on my passion for the beverage industry. In 2018 I was recruited by Redemption Whiskey to be a brand ambassador in the southeast region, mainly working in the Florida and Texas markets. Working in a corporate setting was not the right fit for me, and while I learned and traveled a lot, I missed the freedom of working on my own projects. Eventually, we parted ways and then the pandemic happened.
When the pandemic hit, I found myself with a lot of free time on my hands (just like everyone else), with not a lot of direction. I began making sourdough bread from my apartment with a sense of nostalgia for the early days at my parent’s cafe. At first, I was just giving the bread away to my friends and then I started to experiment with learning how to make a variety of bread. After much positive feedback and requests from strangers to sell my baked goods I decided to turn my passion project into a small business and created an Instagram for Oori Bakeshop, a proper menu and delivery system. Oori means Us or Our in Korean. Initially, it started as a way for me to share my passion with my community then grew into something more.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
If there is a smooth road available for any entrepreneur, please share your secret! Although, I find that the challenges are part of the appeal for entrepreneurs. Challenges to wake up to and overcome.
I have worn many hats over the last couple of decades. Each new identity brings its own set of struggles and lessons. The hardest part for myself is keeping my work-life balance. Passionate people tend to be obsessive.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Oori Bakeshop is my newish passion/obsession. Being in the Miami restaurant industry for the last 12 years has been an adventure that organically created my base network. Many of my close colleagues and friends are talented chefs and restaurateurs, they have become my main clients. Oori is currently working with amazing restaurants and bars as a wholesale bakery providing bread. We are due to open a brick and mortar in the next couple of months located by the Citadel (Little River). My business partner, owner of Tran An Jon Nguyen, and I are working on creating a space that will offer naturally leavened baked goods, coffee, sandwiches, custom picnic baskets, and good vibes. We want to create a neighborhood reprieve from every day and everywhere.
As for Liquid Culture, I am still taking on projects and new clients. We have been able to cultivate a great community to continue to work with as we are looking forward to expanding our portfolio. We have moved away from working with individual establishments and are focused on working directly with brands, marketing agencies, and private clients. Now our work mostly consists of hospitality training, experience-based programming and beverage operations for large-scale events.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I wouldn’t say I’ve had a mentor exactly but I have been inspired and supported by my hospitality community. It is rare to see a group of people be able to band together to aid a cause so quickly and passionately as those that have been connected through this industry. It has been an absolute honor to have the support network of all these people throughout my journey.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ooribakeshop, @liquidcultureco, @helenkimchi
Image Credits
Andrea Steevens Louis Perez
