Mi Sun began making kimchi for her family after immigrating to San Diego around the 1980s, the same era that San Diego\u2019s first Asian grocery store\u2014Woo Chee Chong, which originally opened in 1899\u2014opened on Convoy Street<\/a> in 1979. Korean ingredients were still hard to find, and the city wouldn\u2019t designate Convoy a Pan-Asian cultural district for another four decades.<\/p>\n Mexican markets, though, were everywhere, stocked with their own chiles and cabbage. So she improvised, selling batches on the side while raising two children and working multiple jobs.<\/p>\n Jeong says he grew up eating his mother\u2019s fresh kimchi, or geotjeori, which differs from fermented kimchi in flavor, texture, and shelf life. Because it hasn\u2019t gone through lactic acid fermentation, it\u2019s crisp and bright rather than tangy and sour, best eaten as a side salad or with meats like bossam (boiled pork belly). Fermented kimchi tends to go into stews, pancakes, fried rice, or tofu dishes.<\/p>\n After touring Europe as a musician, Jeong came back to San Diego, and back to his mother\u2019s cooking. He realized that despite an increase in knowledge and availability of Korean food, there wasn\u2019t much traditional fresh kimchi available.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI never started Jung Kimchi because I thought there wasn\u2019t good kimchi available,\u201d he explains. \u201cI started it because there wasn\u2019t my Umma\u2019s (mother\u2019s) kimchi.\u201d<\/p>\n Together, they formed a microenterprise home kitchen operation (MEHKO) business, which requires them to sell kimchi as fresh as possible. Jeong suggests trying Jung Kimchi right away, then keeping it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four weeks to be able to taste the stages of transformation. Since it takes two full days to prep a batch, Jung Kimchi only accepts preorders from a Google Form on Instagram<\/a> or at one of their scheduled pop-ups, where customers can also preorder the signature Gyopo burger.<\/p>\n With two homemade milk bread buns, two beef patties, kimchi, cucumbers, American cheese, and a kimchi sauce, the Gyopo burger is Jeong\u2019s way of expressing his own creative Korean culinary roots. Gyopo is the Korean word for ethnic Koreans living abroad, Korean Americans like Paul among them. \u201cI was born here, but I still felt like I\u2019m not Korean enough. But then I\u2019m not American enough either,\u201d he says. \u201cThis burger is representative of me\u2026 you get the best of both worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n Perhaps eventually, they\u2019ll expand their operation to be able to offer Jung Kimchi in stores\u2014because to Jeong and Mi Sun, kimchi isn\u2019t just fermented cabbage. \u201cThere\u2019s art, history, culture, and love that goes into making it,\u201d he says. \u201cI feel like the art of making kimchi at home and passing down these traditions from one generation to the next is slowly fading. I don\u2019t want that part of our culture to disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n Jung Kimchi\u2019s next pop-up is Sunday, October 25 at Valerio\u2019s 1979 in National City<\/a>. Preorders<\/a> are open now.<\/p>\n San Diego Restaurant News & Food Events<\/p>\n Beth\u2019s Bites<\/p>\n After just shy of 10 years, Rincon Reservation Road Brewery<\/a> has succumbed to craft beer\u2019s economic woes. Southern California\u2019s first Native American-owned and -operated brewery on tribal land had big ambitions when it debuted at Harrah\u2019s Resort SoCal in early 2020, and even operated an Ocean Beach tasting room<\/a> for a time. Unfortunately, it wasn\u2019t quite enough to survive, and will permanently close its doors by the end of the month.<\/p>\n On a brighter note, on November 4, Casa de Pico<\/a> in La Mesa will celebrate 55 years in business, with celebrations running from November 4 through November 7 with mariachi music, margarita specials, and more. As someone who grew up on the East Coast (far from the land of infinite taco shops and authentic border town food), I have a soft spot for sprawling Tex-Mex strip mall Mexican restaurants where I can destroy basket after basket of chips with a blended margarita (or two) to wash it all down, so sign me up to party.<\/p>\n I\u2019m always on the lookout for a bargain, and Cloak & Petal\u2019s latest deal<\/a> will have your frugally-minded family members rolling merrily in their graves. Between now and November 2, any guest who brings in a photo of a deceased loved one or pet to put on the restaurant\u2019s ofrenda will get a $10 gift card for the Japanese fusion eatery. That\u2019s enough to snag an extra piece of nigiri or two\u2014something I\u2019ll never turn down.\u00a0<\/p>\n Listen Now: The Latest in San Diego\u2019s Food and Drink Scene<\/p>\n Have breaking news, exciting scoops, or great stories about new San Diego restaurants or the city\u2019s food scene? Send your pitches to\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>.<\/p>\n ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/jung-kimchi-2-768x1024.jpeg.webp\")
Courtesy of Jung Kimchi<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/jung-kimchi-3-1024x883.jpeg.webp\")
Courtesy of Jung Kimchi, Photo Credit: Desmond<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/casa-de-pico.jpeg.webp\")
Courtesy of Casa de Pico<\/p>\n