Today we’d like to introduce you to Yune Kim.
Hi Yune, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for sharing your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
Since high school, my best friend Nyah and I have always set off on small, creative entrepreneurial endeavors together. From hosting yearly lemonade stands in the summers to making masks by hand at the pandemic’s peak, making things for the people we love was always one of our passions. Now, with KOKO Sips + BItes, we are doing it at a much larger scale. Nyah and I had dreamed about opening a café together but had no idea where to start. After searching for opportunities to get experience in the food service industry, we found our third partner, Jeek Kim, a reputable chef in the Knoxville food scene. From there, we joined forces, and thus, KOKO Sips + Bites (affectionately called KOKO baby) was born on November 1, 2023.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Though we are very grateful for our position, the road could have been smoother. For one, this is the first time we have owned and operated a restaurant, which presented its challenges. We were constantly adjusting to best suit our restaurant’s needs and are still learning so much today. Another challenge we faced was the opportunity to start a restaurant from scratch. Though we had our visions and goals in mind, it took a lot of work to implement these, given the existing reputation of the previous establishment. We are slowly making identity and menu changes in the hopes of bringing our full vision to life soon.
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
KOKO Sips + Bites is a Korean-Japanese fusion restaurant in the heart of Cedar Bluff’. What sets us apart from others is that we are constantly working to bring new flavors to the Knoxville food scene while still staying true to the foods’ cultural backgrounds. Our most popular dishes include the KOKO Kimbap, Tonkotsu Chashu Ramen, and Bulgogi Bibimbap. We would love readers to stop by and try out something new!
Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
What matters most to KOKO is cultivating a warm, inviting, and heartfelt community that is genuinely excited about food.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kokosipsandbitesknox.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kokosipsandbites/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kokosipsandbitesknox/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/koko-sips-bites-knoxville
Image Credits
Nyah Marasigan
