Published Articles

Rob Yoon opened this new hotspot with hopes of sharing Korean food and culture with the Grand Rapids community.

“There’s not much of a Korean presence in the area, so when we were blessed with the opportunity to open downtown, I figured we should start it off and make it happen,” Yoon said.

Despite his status as a public figure in Grand Rapids’ food and beverage scene, my Tito (Tagalog for “uncle”), George Aquino, did not expect to enter a career in hospitality.

Believe it or not, he received his undergraduate degree in writing at the University of Iowa. Out of a need for cash, he applied to be a server at a fine dining restaurant called Le Ciel Bleu at the Mayfair Regent Hotel in Chicago.

When Alice Lyn Jasper moved from Brooklyn to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for school, it was the perfect opportunity to dabble in outdoor recreation. But there were a few setbacks: she was new at it, and she’s a woman of color.

If I asked a random group of people to name their favorite dishes from Japanese, Thai, or Chinese cuisine, I’d probably be met with a flood of diverse responses: ramen, sushi, pad thai, tom kha, dumplings or Peking duck, to name a few. But if I asked those same people to name some Filipino dishes, I’d likely hear nothing but crickets.

Many Americans don't venture outside the usual rotation of dishes such as pancakes for breakfast, grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and turkey on Thanksgiving.

While those things are classics for a reason, but there’s a whole world of new and unique foods to explore.