For our final episode of Perilla Diaries, we asked Thomas and Andrew where they got the resilience to carry on throughout all these pandemic challenges. Without hesitation, they pointed to the strongest people they know – their mothers. We asked the two restaurateurs to phone them for a short interview about their respective journeys starting new jobs and lives in America.

Julian Kim is an editor, producer, filmmaker, and father of Ian, his 20-month-old son. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many families have experienced a dramatic change within their household when it comes to parenting, especially for those with young children.

KC Kye is the founder of K-Mama Sauce, a Korean hot sauce company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. KC initially was preparing to go into ministry but pivoted into starting a business after a conversation with his mentor and pastor, Reverend Dr. Jin.  Like many small businesses, KC and his team faced challenges and had to adapt to new rules and restrictions due to COVID-19. KC has found much love and support from his church and hopes that K-Mama Sauce will continue to grow to support the greater Minneapolis community.

On May 31st, 2020, many stores in Chicago fell victim to looters and vandalism following the murder of George Floyd. Venus Fashion, a women’s fashion store, was one of them. Owner Dae O Yang has operated the store in the south Chicago area for over twenty years and had already made plans to re-open since the COVID-19 lockdown but in the blink of an eye, everything was taken away from him. 

Late May, Downtown Chicago took an unexpected hit from the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd. When things started to get violent near Perilla, Thomas and Andrew were left trying to figure out what to do next. With concerns for the safety of their staff in mind, they subsequently paused delivery services and boarded up the restaurant’s windows for protection.

New York City was once the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. In late May, we interviewed three Korean American medical professionals (Nancy Kwon, Ben Hong, and Karis Cho) based in some of the hardest-hit hospitals in New York. Each doctor leads us through their lives during the current pandemic and what keeps them going.

When New York City began to reach its peak of coronavirus cases in April, Sung Book Dong, a Korean restaurant in Little Neck, began delivering discounted meals to the hardest-hit hospitals in NYC as a way of honoring and supporting the healthcare workers for their service.

밥 먹었어? Did you eat? We asked our followers on social media what Korean dishes they’ve been cooking up during the COVID-19 quarantine – this is what we got! Though we’re all stuck at home, that won’t stop us from cooking our favorite Korean dishes and fusions.

With talk arising about the upcoming shortages in the food supply industries, Andrew and Thomas share how that would affect Perilla and their future. Still adapting to the challenges brought on by COVID-19, Andrew and Thomas give us an update about the changes they’ve made like becoming delivery drivers, creating an online shop, and adding pantry items to their menu.

It’s been about two weeks since our last video with Perilla. Since then, Thomas and Andrew have come up with a solution to streamline their services in order to support the business and the little staff they have left. But now they are faced with another obstacle – how can their business survive solely on delivery services? 

Seung Ku Baik is a manager at a dry cleaner store still operating in Manhattan, New York. With his daughter Deborah videotaping, Mr. Baik leads us through his typical day at the cleaners during the coronavirus pandemic and shares with us how it has impacted him.

Andrew Lim and Thomas Oh of Perilla | Korean American Fare in Chicago are just one of the few restaurant owners greatly impacted by the global shutdown. They lead us through how they’ve been battling throughout the current food industry crisis and lend their personal insight with us in this series. KoreanAmericanStory.org will continue following their story and update with regular content.