A few years ago, longtime friends James Kim and Ming Han Chung started a conversation about finding meaning in their work and the legacy they wanted to leave for their children.
Out of those talks was born Minhwa Spirits, a craft distillery that launched in Doraville late last year and produces Korean grain-based spirit soju that is now sold in more than 15 restaurants and bars across the state.
The pair are expanding on their desire to shine a spotlight on their culture with a tasting room set to open by the end of the year at 2421 Van Fleet Circle in Doraville.
“We wanted to stake our ground in the city,” Chung said. “We want to be a place where we help the community through what we do, and help the next generation of Korean-American food talent in the city.”
To that end, the tasting room will feature coffee in the mornings from Postern Coffee and food in the afternoon and evenings from Korean pop-up Ganji, in addition to cocktails made with Minhwa’s high-proof Yong and low-proof Dokkaebi soju.
In addition to soju, Kim and Chung will also offer makgeolli, a traditional Korean drink “that’s referred to as rice wine, but is more of a rice beer,” Kim said. The beverage will be fermented in-house using a recipe from Kim’s uncle, who makes it out of his home in South Korea. Makgeolli is considered a precursor to soju, with a sweeter taste and lower alcohol content.
“With soju, what we saw out there wasn’t a good representation of Korean spirits and what they could be,” Kim said. “We wanted to bring forward a more traditional elevated product.”
Credit: Courtesy of Postern Coffee
Credit: Courtesy of Postern Coffee
Joshua Owh, who started Postern Coffee with Andrew Lee and Yi Cheng in 2022, said Kim and Chung’s dedication to creating a platform for other Asian-owned operations made it an ideal place for his business to land.
“We have a lot of similarities in our ideals about business,” Owh said. “We saw a lot of correlation in our goals of wanting to uplift the Asian-American community.”
In addition to pour over and drip coffee and traditional coffee drinks, Postern also offers specialty drinks that incorporate Asian ingredients, including a cold brew made with Chinese five-spice powder. Customers can also look for locally sourced baked goods and a retail section with bags of Postern’s roasted coffee beans. The concept is signed on to sell at Minhwa for at least a year.
Credit: Courtesy of of Ganji
Credit: Courtesy of of Ganji
Jess Kim and Jun Park, who own and operate the Atlanta pop-up Ganji, said they wanted to find a stable home and Minhwa “fit the script,” according to Kim.
Though the menu changes, expect to see dishes like the Ganji burger with American cheese and kimchi relish; shrimp katsu sando with a panko shrimp patty, cabbage and yuzu tartar sauce; and cacio e pepe tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). The pop-up will sell at Minhwa for at least the first three months, with the option to extend its residency “if everyone is on board,” Kim said.
Kim and Chung are working with a designer on building out the space, outfitting it with a bar and full kitchen, along with indoor seating including a lounge area with plush sofas, as well as an outdoor patio.
“We want it to look more like a restaurant than an industrial space,” Kim said. “We wanted to give our food partners the best tools and space to operate in, and we want everyone to come in and feel comfortable and have a cohesive experience that they feel is worth their time and money.”
They hope it will become a place for members of the Asian-American community and beyond to gather, learn about Korean sprits and gain more of an appreciation for the culture.
“Education is definitely going to be a big part of what we do,” Chung said. “We want the tasting room to show the rest of the community what the Korean-American community is doing intown, and be a place where everyone can come together.”
Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
Read more stories like this by liking Atlanta Restaurant Scene on Facebook, following @ATLDiningNews on Twitter and @ajcdining on Instagram.
About the Author
