Hallo, my name in Indigo Montoya..

Wait, that isn’t right..

I guess I should have given away Girl Scout cookies, because only one person took a stab at my questions and they didn’t get a single one right! Oh well, at least I know that next time Thin Mints are the way to your hearts.

That said, I should probably finally introduce myself to you dear readers as you have been so patient over the last few months.

Hi, my name is Laura, I live in Columbus Ohio and I am the chef/owner of Ajumama- a Korean street food truck that will be hitting the fair roads of my beloved Midwest city in late April. We aren’t going the taco route, we have PLENTY of taco trucks here in Columbus, in fact, there was a mention on Serious Eats about them. http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/12/best-tacos-in-columbus-ohio-trucks.html

That said, the last thing we need here is another thing wrapped in a corn tortilla. What we don’t have is a lot of kimbop, dukkboki, or hoedukk. We have some wonderful Korean restaurants that do awesome kalbi and the like but nowhere can you get that true Insadong feel of biting into a too hot hoedukk. The little mom and pop places where you can sit down and have a crisp paejeon or a warm bowl of juk on a rainy day don’t exist here in the heart of the U.S. and I want to change that.

And before you wonder if I’ve lost my mind to go full Korean in a place where most people outside of the state think we stare at cows all day, check this out:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57404087/columbus-ohio-test-market-of-the-u.s.a/?tag=cbsnewsTwoColUpperPromoArea Hopefully you will see why I said that Columbus was ready for the Seoul street experience.

Ajumama has been my dream in one form or another for the last three years and it is finally about to come true. Its first incarnation was a stall at the historic North Market here in Columbus, the birthplace of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream. The name came from all of my mom’s friends telling me they would help me, a collection of ajummas that spawned the Kor-nglish word Ajumama.

The dream went on hold as I tried to work my way up the culinary food chain to get the seed money needed. I even took a job as a sous chef in San Diego as way to hopefully get more saved so that someday I would be able to open something of my own. What I found while I was gone was Columbus is an amazing food town; light years ahead of many places and I should have never left. Our food truck and cart scene started grow with the help of an organization called ECDI and their food specific arm, Food Fort. Knowing they were actively working to grow small businesses and particularly food trucks and carts was the push I needed to move back and do this today instead of someday.

I have had an amazing group of people who have been with me on this journey so far, but Daniel and O’ngo have been a huge part and I can’t thank them enough. I only wish he could be here for the grand opening but I guess I will just have to catch him the next time he is stateside. (And now I know I can bribe him with TastyKakes!)

I’ll have some pictures later with the truck all complete, the last couple weeks have flown by as I went back and forth with the wrap installers and my graphic designer to get everything just right. This next week will bring the actual inspection from the health department as well as finally getting all those permits I couldn’t get before now. Equipment and food purchasing trips are in the future and then finally a few dry runs as we also try to build up our par stock of kimchi to be ready for our first real day.

So now you know, this won’t be the last time you hear from me but if you want to start following me on Twitter we are @ajumamacbus and on Facebook as well. Check out the menu at ajumama.com and feel free to comment.

Oh, and the answers to the other two questions? I’ve been working part time in a yarn shop (I knit!) and my cats are Pungae and Chun Dong (Lightning and Thunder). I keep saying we need to get a third one and name it Bi (Rain) so we can have the full storm front.

Chef Laura

http://ajumama.com

Twitter: @AjumamaCbus

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ajumama

I love Greek food. I mean one of my first jobs was as a dishwasher at a Greek Restaurant working for the Veriopolas Family. Here I learned how to behave like a good Greek boy. After I learned that, I was allowed to make salads and hang out in the kitchen.

At this restaurant I had my first Gyro and it was good. The pita, the tzikiki, the meat, the veggies were all perfectly united. It's a gyro that is quite hard to match and I have had many around the world.

So... El Greco is a new establishment over by Gyeonidan. It's a little bit hard to find since it is off the main road and down an alley. It's a small place run by a foreign guy (I think he is Australian because of his accent.) The place has about 8 seats inside. They serve beer and mainly gyros but they had some other sandwiches on the menu.

Since it was my first visit, I got a gyro and a Greek beer. The owner was friendly and cordial and 15 minutes later I got my massive gyro.

The pita was plush and looked fresh baked and the veggies were crunchy and seasoned. The tzikiki was very good as well. I judge Greek restaurants based on their yogurt cucumber sauce and here I could tell it was homemade. The sauce had a garlic lemon taste with bits of crunchy cucumber in creamy yogurt. Quite good.

Oh, I didn't mention the meat yet because... I think it could have been better. First of all, it was pork; not lamb. The meat was seasoned, but it was dry. I think chicken would have been a better option. It wasn't a deal breaker, but it's the one thing keeping me from going there often. For 8,000 won it was a decent meal (11,000 for a set with drink and fries.)

On my next visit I ordered the falafel and this was outstanding for the most part. The falafel were tasty. They were crisp outside and soft inside. The falafel balls had nice body as well. The pita was good like before and it had a nice smear of hummus and it had a nice tahini sauce. The veggies were good. There was red cabbage and red onions. The only problem I had were the inclusion of pickles. They were good pickles, but I don't know if they really fit in the mix. I think fresh cucumber would have been better. This was a filling meal for only 7,000 won.

The place was so good that I bought some hummus and tzikiki with pita for friends that were working late that night (6,000 won each).

I commend the chef for his efforts and I look forward to seeing the improvements.

Here is a fast recap of food observations I have made in the last few days.

/ Acai berries and juices are at Costco. The super fruit is available frozen and in juice form.
/ Paris Baguette is now serving wine at some of their cafe locations. This one is over by Sinsa Station exit 4.
/ Paris Baguette (and other monster corporations like CJ) are under attack in the Korean media for undercutting local bakeries and forcing them out of business. This came to light as there have been recent reports of small business owners committing suicide because their businesses have failed.
/ Yum Thai in Sinsadong still has delicious food. Their Penang beef is thick and outstanding and so is their Tom Ka Gao (I think that is correct, their coconut chicken soup). They are looking for English speaking staff. If you know anyone send me an email.
/ JeJe Coffee in HBC has 1 kilo bags of coffee for those that want to special order. It is quite good.
/ Set the Table in Insadong has good Korean food in a fancier setting despite their ridiculous name. The lunch course was 15,000 won a person for a 6 course meal.

My mother likes to send me fun little e-mails and this one was particularly interesting. I love gadgets. I have gadgets that I buy and later I don't know what to do with, but if it is interesting and fun- there is a good chance that I will buy it. Here is a list of some fun things for the home and kitchen.

Dan

We should all try to eat healthier and that doesn't mean that it should taste bad. My friend Brad Curtis invited me other to enjoy a breakfast of Super Pancakes. They are organic blueberry walnut and apple pancakes made with whole wheat flour topped with real maple syrup and butter.

Yum.

In this radio podcast I talk about how to cook a Korean dinner party for friends and family and about how Americans should work on portion control.

Dan