Eunice Workshop

Eunice's Story

On the second and fourth Sundays of each month you can find Eunice Choi selling her traditional Korean kimchi at Grey Lynn Farmers Market, with her sparky husband Daniel lending a hand.

Where did you grow up?

In a city, 20min from Seoul in South Korea. I have always enjoyed traditional Korean food and my major at university was traditional Korean food, even when it wasn’t popular.

Korean food wasn’t popular in Korea?

For a long time, it was underrated – Japanese and Chinese foods were more fashionable. Of course, that has changed now with the rise of K-drama and K-pop, Korean food is now more valued and Koreans are now proud of their own cuisine.

Why did you leave Korea?

I wanted adventures and cooking was my key to travelling and living in different places and trying different foods.

Where did those adventures take you?

First stop was an internship in New Orleans, making bread and pastries. I loved the Creole food because it is spicy like Korean food. Gumbo is delicious and I have a soft spot for beignets which are a sweet French doughnut.

And that was just the start of your travels

Yes. I spent a year in Canada to improve my English. In Australia I did a two-year hospitality degree. I went to Kuwait to help set up a Korean restaurant. And finally, I came to New Zealand.

Were you planning to stay this long?

Not really. I came on a one-year visa but four days after I arrived flights started getting cancelled because of Covid and I wondered what I had got myself into. I love wine so I had been planning to work in Nelson but I was quickly offered work in Auckland. Café work suited me well - I love working mornings.

Did you ever get to work with wine?

Yes. I was working in a wine bar when I met Daniel. I loved the wine part of the job, but I realised that I’m not good at working nights. Wine will just have to remain a hobby.

How did you get into running your own business?

When Daniel and I got a place together, there was room to run cooking classes as I had done in Korea in between my travels. I made a lot of kimchi during those lessons, so I started selling my kimchi on the local community page. When I realised how popular it was, I expanded to the market.

What is Kimchi?

Kimchi is a traditional side dish of fermented vegetables – it’s tasty and very healthy. In Korea, the taste of kimchi varies from family to family, and region to region. The kimchi I make today is deeply inspired by my mum and grandmother. They are both amazing cooks and I feel like I’ve inherited some of their touch.

You sell a seasonal range of kimchi

Absolutely. I make lots of different types of kimchi depending on which vegetables are in season. Last week was the end of our cucumber kimchi for the season. I posted that on my Instagram page, and someone made a special trip to the market from South Auckland to get the last jar of my last batch of cucumber kimchi.

How are your customers eating kimchi?

I love hearing how my customers are eating kimchi. They come up with ideas that I hadn’t thought about so I try them out. Some people put it on toast or pizza – I tried that and was surprised how good it is. And it’s always popular as a side dish or as a soup base.

Any new plans?

I love to bake and bring a few surprises to the market. Lately, I’m enjoying experimenting with mochi (chapssal-tteok in Korea), a chewy rice cake, that makes a fun cookie filling.

And how are you using those weekends away from the market?

I’m pacing myself at the market, coming twice a month so that we can get out of Auckland and explore different areas. We love trying new foods and new wines.

As published in Ponsonby News : May 2025