Get Down with K-Town

In his role as an editor for Eater, Matthew Kang chronicles the best eateries in Los Angeles and has toured North America in search of the finest Korean food. Esther talks with Matt about his journey throughout K-Towns in the United States and Canada, the variations in cuisines, and why they both feel that Los Angeles has the best and most authentic traditional Korean food.

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Esther talks to Heather Kim, the founder of YMG Entertainment, the first Korean-American record label in Atlanta, GA. Heather recounts her childhood in downtown Atlanta, growing up in her parent's truck stop and Korean nightclub, and the twists and turns that led her to start her own K-Pop label. Heather and Esther talk about the process of training K-Pop stars, operating a K-Pop label based in the United States, and the direction K-Pop based in the U.S. might take. 

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Kevin and Terrence Kim grew up in New Jersey, and like many second generation Koreans, felt ambivalent about their heritage. In their early 20s, the Kim brothers found themselves trying to start a fashion line in Korea. Broke and with little knowledge of Korean language, they suddenly found themselves on fire with curiosity about everything Korean, from traditional natural dyeing techniques to furniture making and architecture. Esther talks to the brothers about their fashion company, IISE and how they've used it to express their love of their family's culture, and what it's like working with your sibling.

***This episode was recorded in February 2020 during NYC Fashion Week***

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Grace Pae is an LA-based celebrity makeup artist who has been applying makeup to famous faces since before before social media made top makeup artists stars in their own right. Esther and Grace discuss the skills required to make it in a competitive and demanding industry, how Korean beauty trends influence makeup in the West, and how Korean women and Korean-American women define standards of beauty differently. 

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Before BTS or Gangnam Style, there was Lee Ji Yeon, the original K-pop icon. 

Esther talks to Jiyeon Lee, who, at the age of 17, rocketed to pop stardom in Korea, only to give it all up a few years later due to the pressures of the lifestyle: physical exhaustion, anxiety and trolling by "anti-fans". 

Jiyeon left Korea to find greater anonymity and freedom in the United States, only to go to culinary school and open Heirloom Market BBQ, one of the most popular and unique fusion barbecue restaurants in the country, with her husband Cody Taylor. Esther and Jiyeon talk about societal expectations around famous people, being an immigrant in America, and how magic happens again and again during one eventful career.

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K-Pop producer and songwriter David Amber gives Esther the inside view from the world of K-pop, currently one of the most popular music genres in the world. David breaks down the worldwide appeal of K-Pop, why it's more than just a trend, how its popularity has introduced millions to Korean culture, and how he became a chart topping producer of the genre as a white American man who speaks very little Korean.  

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Esther talks with chef, nutritionist, natural wine lover and author of the cookbook “Everyday Korean” Seung Hee Lee about how her passion for sharing Korean Royal Court cuisine turned into a side hustle pairing Korean food and wine with "Korean Fusion" pop-ups around the world. Now based in Atlanta, Georgia, Seung Hee uses her popular Instagram handle @koreanfusion to discover innovative ways to introduce people to the mouth watering flavors and dishes of Korea, converting people, one dish a at time.  

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Esther talks to actor, radio and television host Ellie Lee about being Korean in the entertainment industry. Ellie talks Korean cinema, breaks down the K-Pop phenomenon and why it's here to stay, dishes about the skills required to interview A-list celebrities, why there aren't more Korean American actors, her plans to conquer Hollywood, and her major life change in becoming vegan.

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Esther @choibites chats with Samantha McVey, host of feminist podcast Stuff Mom Never Told You. At seven years old, Samantha came to the United States from Korea as an adoptee to a small, predominately white town in the mountains of northern Georgia. She unpacks some of the difficult adjustments and hardships she faced being a part of a community where she not only looked different than everyone else, but she also initially couldn't even speak the language of her new family. Samantha talks about her identity as a Korean adoptee, racism, trauma, healing and her search for her "people."

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Growing up in a racially diverse Los Angeles, Dumboundead (Jonathan Park) found his way into the spotlight as a child actor and then his voice as a battle rapper, shredding the competition on the streets of LA as the only Asian emcee on the scene. After becoming one of the most famous Asian rappers in the world, Dumbfoundead has expanded his career into the worlds of podcasting, acting, stand-up and as an all-around creative. He and Esther talk about where he finds inspiration, how he's distinguished himself in his career, and what people expect from Korean American artists.

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