Our Story
I was 10 years old when my parents moved my siblings and I from South Korea to Maui for a better life and more opportunities for their children. Not knowing any English, it was very challenging for my siblings and I to adjust to this whole new world. My mother, Yeong Suk was the true "Wonder Woman" and was known for making the best Kimchee in our hometown in Korea. Her legacy continued among the small Korean community here on Maui. She would turn up to 600 lbs of cabbage into Kimchee for our church and Korean Community Association fundraisers. I remember she would make homemade mandoo to sell at the swap meet and traveled door to door to sell her Kimchee. She would even sell her Kimchee to hotel employees at their bus stop.
When I became a mom to my two children, I wanted better lives for them as well. My husband I decided that one of us should stay home and be with our children while working split shifts. He worked during the day as an air conditioning tech and I would work in retail in the evenings. Every day I went to work I really missed being home with my family. That's when I decided I wanted to start my own business from home, where I could be with my children more.
I realized I had learned a lot from my mother and picked up many of her skills in the kitchen…I guess I really am my mother’s daughter. The day that my mother passed away at the tender age of 54, was the saddest day of my life.
That is when my journey to continue my mother’s legacy began. I was approved and licensed to operate a 50 square foot commercial kitchen out of my garage. My father-in-law and my husband worked very hard to build my first commercial kitchen. I named my business and my first product after my mother. That’s when "Yeong Suk Enterprises" and "Yeong Suk's homestyle Kimchee" were born. My new business allowed me to be a part of our children's school excursions, sports activities, and most importantly be there when they needed me. It wasn't always easy financially, as our first year was burdened by a harsh 99% rejection, bills and mortgage payments. There were many times that I contemplated going back to a regular day job. My husband encouraged me to give it another year. In that single year everything changed, and many doors were opened. We grew rapidly from there. The unfortunate events of 9/11 marked another difficult period, as well as the 2008 market crash and the decrease in tourism. Regardless, we overcame it all. Covid-19 has now presented new challenges, but I am confident we will overcome this too.
Thinking about the 50 square foot kitchen in my garage that we started with, it is amazing to think that in 2021 we will be moving into our new 4,500 square foot kitchen and distribution center. This would not have been possible without the love and support of my family, loyal customers and the hard work and dedication of my employees, the backbone of Hawaii Commercial Foods, Inc.
