[One Eat One Guest] Los Angeles | Chris Kim, Haus by Coffee Hunter-Food Squad

Chris Kim

Haus by Coffee Hunter, Los Angeles

"I have the opportunity to meet the founder of Starbucks, tell him to stop making such unreal coffee, and spread such incorrect coffee ideas to people."

Time: 2015AM on May 4, 17

Where: Los Angeles, Haus by Coffee Hunter on 6th St. in Koreatown

Interviewed: Chris Kim, owner of Haus by Coffee Hunter.Born, raised and studied in Seoul. In 1999, he moved to Hawaii, USA; he moved to Los Angeles 3 years ago.

Interviewer @Chihuo: Ke Lair, Yunzhu

photography@Chihuo: Yunzhu

Text@Chihuo: Jun Yuer, Jocelyn

When you talk about Hawaii, what do you think of first?

Mango, papaya and pineapple.

How would you rate the city after living in Los Angeles for 3 years?

I love living in Los Angeles, which is bigger and more prosperous than Hawaii. But I plan to move back to Hawaii after I retire, because life there is more relaxed. In Hawaii, people meet each other and greet each other with "Aloha", which means that the weather is good, the environment is good, and the people are also very good. This is not the case in Los Angeles.

How about describing LA by taste?

Integration. There are people from all over the world and their different cultures.

Why did you start Haus?

When I was in Korea, I opened a similar shop called Mango Six, which is the location for many Korean dramas. Haus is my first store in Los Angeles.

What was your biggest challenge in planning the opening of Haus?

Due to the different business laws and regulations in each region, I need to understand the legal and tax regulations here after coming to Los Angeles. In addition, as a new store, Haus also needs some time to cultivate repeat customers.

But I didn't worry too much because coffee is a very global product and everyone likes it. In addition, I have my own coffee farm. I am familiar with every detail of coffee from brewing to brewing. I am confident that customers will like our coffee.

How would you judge the quality of coffee?

I am a coffee connoisseur and judging the quality of coffee is my specialty. Different coffees have different flavors, smells and textures, which are all determined by their origin. In Hawaii, we grow Kona coffee. Kona coffee is also the only coffee variety from the United States.

How did you become associated with coffee?

In Korea, there are many coffee farm houses, and we often organize some related activities, so I have the opportunity to learn about coffee.

What is the difference between Kona coffee and other types of coffee?

Coffee is also a crop, and its growth condition is greatly affected by the natural climate. Hawaii's climate is particularly good, and it is one of the perfect coffee plantations in the world. China's Hainan can also grow coffee. However, most Asian and European countries cannot grow coffee because coffee trees cannot grow in cold weather. They have to rely on imported coffee.

You said that in your eyes, coffee is a new type of wine. Why do you describe coffee like this?

Coffee and wine are very similar. First, they all come from fruits. We use grapes to make wine; we peel the husks of coffee cherries, get seeds, and go through a series of production processes to get coffee beans. In addition, depending on the origin, the taste of the wine is different; so is the coffee. The origin of coffee beans is different, and the coffee's smell, sweetness, acidity and taste will also vary.

Is there any food you think is indispensable in your life?

Kimchi fried rice.

– Is it also in Los Angeles?

um, yes. Kimchi fried rice is also becoming more popular in Los Angeles.

What is the taste of home for you?

Spicy and sweet, haha, like the taste of kimchi.

Do you like cooking?

Well, I like to cook by myself and I try different dishes.

Do you have any recipes for exclusive cooking?

We at Haus have many exclusive dishes that come from my personal cooking experience, such as Haus's signature dish Mentaiko spaghetti. Mentaiko is Mentaiko roe. The patties we use are from the Alaska Sea. During the cooking process, use garlic, onion and jalapeno as seasoning, add some butter to remove the fishy smell, and finally, add some sauce to the finishing touch.

Have any customers impressed you since Haus opened?

There is a customer named Troy who comes almost every day and will bring different friends with him.

American actor Micky Rourke also comes often. There is a picture of him in our shop. I didn't recognize him at first, but other customers here told me. Others are friendly, love Haus coffee and food, and even say better than Starbucks.

So, how would you rate Starbucks and Tom & Tom's?

Many people who open coffee shops don't actually understand coffee.It's like this in Los Angeles, and it's like that in other places and in China.I think Starbucks is a "wonderful flower" and "junk coffee" in the coffee industry.And Tom & Tom's is "Copy Starbucks".

Talk about your favorite restaurant in Los Angeles, except Haus?

I often go to Urth Cafe, although there are always a lot of people there. I want to make Haus a mini version of Urth Cafe. Urth Cafe is very popular among young Koreans. In addition to Urth Cafe's coffee and food, I also appreciate its business philosophy. Urth's manager started Urth Cafe because of his very special experience when traveling to Africa. When he saw that children in Africa were used as cheap labor to pick coffee, in addition to being deeply shocked, he realized that the delicious coffee that he was accustomed to every day turned out to be the labor of these cute and innocent children. After returning to Los Angeles, he let more people know this fact. Now he sells coffee at par, but pays African coffee farm owners more. From this perspective, he is different from many other businessmen.

What about your favorite Korean restaurant?

Chosun Galbee (Note: Korean BBQ Restaurant, Address: 3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019; Yelp rated four stars, 1172 reviews)

I also like to eat Korean Chinese food, such as kimchi noodles.

You talked a lot about the corporate social role of Urth Cafe, so is Haus' long-term goal also giving back to society?

Yes, I want to make Haus the Urth Cafe in Koreatown. I will insist on parity at Haus. Not only do I admire the manager of Urth Cafe, I also agree with his business philosophy. I am a farmer myself, and I know the hardships of the farmer.

If you have the opportunity to choose to eat with someone, who will you choose, can it be a historical figure or a character in a novel?

The founder of Starbucks, tell him to stop making such unworthy coffee. He spread the incorrect coffee idea to people.

What hobbies do you have after work?

I like to try different cafes and restaurants, and I like to give talks about coffee. I taught coffee in college in Korea. There are also coffee classes in Los Angeles, introducing different coffee shops and their latest menus.

Do you have plans to open a Haus branch in China?

some. We are currently discussing cooperation possibilities with our Chinese partners. We plan to open 100 chain stores in China.

Have you ever planned to open the first branch in which Chinese city?

May be Shanghai. In addition to the local Chinese market, we will open a branch in San Gabriel recently. We spent six months talking with our Chinese partners. Franchising is difficult to authorize in the United States, and there are many paperwork and formalities to complete.

Please recommend us for the next interview?

Our Barrister in Haus (laughs). He was a model before.

The following is the original English text.

What food first comes to your mind when you think of Hawaii?

Mango, Papaya, Pineapple.

How long have you been in Los Angeles?

I came to LA 3 years ago.

What is your general impression of Los Angeles?

I like living here — LA is so much bigger and busier than Hawaii — but I want to go back to Hawaii when I retire. That's a place more relaxed for enjoying life. In Hawaii people greet each other by saying “Aloha”. That also means good weather, good environment and good people. It's not like that in LA.

What does LA taste to you?

Diversity. Different culture and different people.

Why did you want to open this restaurant?

This is my first cafe in Los Angeles. I had one in Korea called Mangosix. It's filmed in many Korean drama.

What was the toughest challenge you have ever faced opening this restaurant?

There is a lot of different business conditions and regulations here. I need to figure out the laws and tax. Also, It took time to get regular customers.

However, I never worried too much, because coffee is a global product. Everyone likes it! And I've been doing farming in Hawaii and I own several coffee farms. I have the confident, because I know coffee very well from feed to brew . I know so much better than other local businessman about coffee brewing.

If given any type of coffee, can you tell the difference between their qualities?

Yes of course, that's my specialty. I am a coffee taster. Different coffee has different flavors, aroma and textures. They all depend on the locations where it is grown. In Hawaii, we grow KONA coffee, and KONA is the only American local coffee.

Where did you learn the knowledge about coffee?

In Korea, there are communities about coffee farming. We hold workshops and events very frequent.

How is KONA different from other coffee?

Hawaii has very good weather condition. Coffee is an agricultural product, so it depends very heavily on how weather. Have you ever seen a coffee tree and the coffee fruits?

– Yes, I saw once in China.

Right, China also grows coffee, in Hainan. However, most of the Asian countries cannot grow coffee, because coffee trees cannot survive in cold weather. So couldn't European countries. They have to import coffee.

You told me that coffee is a new wine. Why would you say that?

Coffee and wine are very similar. First, they both come from fruits. Wine comes from grapes and coffee comes from coffee cherries. We remove the skin and the pulp, and the seeds are what we want. After a set of different procedures, they become coffee beans. Additionally, wines taste different based on their origins. So does coffee. In coffee, there are different aroma, different sweetness, different acidities and different bodies – body means the texture. When you drink milk, it tastes different from tasting water. We call this texture "body".

Do you have any food that you cannot live without?

Oh, Kimchi fried rice.

– From here?

Haha yes. Kimchi fried rice is getting trendy among local residents.

What does home taste like to you?

Spicy and sweet. Haha I like Kimchi.

Do you like to cook?

Oh yes, I love to cook. I like to cook different cuisines.

Do you have personal secret recipes or menus?

We have many secret recipes here at Haus, such as our signature dish here, Mentaiko spaghetti. Mentaiko means Palla eggs. It's from not pacific but the Alaska sea. I helped invent this recipe. We use many ingredients to give it good flavor, such as garlic, onions and jalapenos. We also use butter to reduce the smell of fish. Also, we have wonderful sauce. Sauces are very important for any dish.

Since Haus was opened, is there one most memorable customer to you?

Yes, there's a customer called Troy. He comes in almost everyday, and he brings different people with him.

Also, the very famous American actor Micky Rourke used to come here regularly. You can see the picture over there. I didn't even know it because I was in Hawaii. People recognized him, so that I could know. He was very nice and polite. He said he liked here because we had good coffee and good food, which was better than Starbucks.

How would you rate Starbucks and Tom & Tom's?

There are so many people who don't know about coffee, but they open coffee shops. It's true here, and also true in other places, like China. We call Starbucks a “specialty” in coffee, because it is “junk coffee” . And we call Tom &Tom's “the fake Starbuck's coffee”. So, you see?

What is your favorite restaurant in LA besides Haus by Coffee Hunter?

I used to go to Urth Cafe a lot, but they are always very busy. I want to make Haus cafe as a small version of Urth cafe. Urth cafe is very famous among Korean young generation. Despite their good coffee and good food, I appreciate the concept of Urth Cafe the most. The owner started Urth cafe for a totally different concept. He traveled to Africa, and got shocked by the coffee-farming scene there. Children are employed very cheaply to pick up coffee plants. that these coffee beans that he has been dealing with everyday are actually from those cheap labors, from those kids in Africa. Now, He came back and has been educating people about this. He sells coffee for a fair price and pays back to the coffee farmers in Africa at a better price. He is very different from other businessman.

How about Korean restaurants?

Chosong galbi. I also like Korean style Chinese food, like ja jamg mian.

I see that you talked a lot about Urth Cafe's social enterprise model. Could I assume that one of your long-term goal for Haus is to give back to the society?

Yes, I want to make haus a small Urth cafe in Ktown. I use fair trade price in Haus for every product. I do not admire the owner of Urth Cafe, but I appreciate their concept. I was a farmer myself, so I know the difficulties of farmers.

If you could pick anyone, even fictional or historical, to dine with, who would you pick and why?

The owner of Starbucks. Stop making this kind of coffee, dude. He's telling people the wrong concept of coffee.

What are some of your hobbies besides running Haus by Coffee Hunter?

I like to go to different cafes and restaurants and to give lectures about coffee. I used to teach about coffee in a university in Korea. There is also a coffee class here at LA, teaching about different coffee restaurants and their updated menus.

Are you thinking of opening Haus in China?

Yes. We have been contacting with a Chinese potential partner recently. We want to do a franchise for around 100 stores.

Do you have a place for the first shop in mind?

Probably Shanghai. But besides that, we might open a café in SGV soon. It took us 6 months to communicate with a Chinese business partner there. Franchise is very difficult in the US. There are always too many regulations and paperwork.

Who would you recommend to be our next interviewee?

Our Barrister (at Haus)! Do you know he was once a model?

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