Mother-daughter duo opens restaurant in San Mateo inspired by childhood memories
What do you think of when you envision Korean food? Is it succulent grill-it-yourself beef bulgogi at Korean barbecue? Crispy and sticky Korean fried chicken? Sweet, savory and cheesy Korean corn dogs?
One food you likely didn’t immediately think of is kimbap, a sushi-like rice roll filled with pickled vegetables, egg and protein (think beef bulgogi, Spam or fishcake). Kimbap, a staple in Korea, didn’t popularize across America in the same way other Korean foods have. That is, until Trader Joe’s brought frozen kimbap to its stores last August.
I remember Trader Joe’s kimbap reviews saturating my TikTok feed and going to my local Trader Joe’s to see signs saying “limit one per customer” for the frozen kimbap (which was often sold out). While I was microwaving frozen kimbap, Burlingame resident Chihee Kim and her mother Dong Hye Kim were working on a plan to bring fresh kimbap to the Bay Area. A few months later, yumkimbap was open for business.
Stay tasty,
Adrienne
Mother-daughter duo opens San Mateo Korean kimbap restaurant inspired by childhood picnic memories
At 73 years old, Dong Hye Kim is working her first job, making kimbap out of a ghost kitchen in San Mateo with her daughter, Chihee Kim. Passionate about food and nutrition, the mother-daughter duo wants to offer a healthy fast-food option for busy families.
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Live Music + Community Socials at The Village at San Antonio Center
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A surge of new restaurants, a food truck market returns and tasty ways to celebrate Earth Month
- Surmai, a coastal Maharashtrian restaurant, opened March 17 in Sunnyvale. It’s the sister restaurant to Puranpoli.
- Ambrosia India Bistro, an Indian restaurant based in Monterey, opened its fifth location March 22 in Los Gatos.
- Mangia Mornings, an Italian American breakfast and lunch spot, opened March 16 in downtown Saratoga.
- Taste and Glory, an Asian-fusion brunch spot, is now open in San Mateo.
- Slice House by Tony Gemignani will be opening in Mountain View’s The Village at San Antonio Center this spring.
- Fibbar MaGee’s in Sunnyvale temporarily closed for renovations March 31 and plans to reopen in about five weeks.
- Off the Grid, a food truck market, is back in Foster City tonight. Find Lamas Peruvian Food, Respectable Bird, Senor Sisig and more from 5-9 p.m.
- Tasty ways to celebrate Earth Month: The third annual Love Our Earth Festival, this year held in East Palo Alto, will include a plant-based food and drink market, and Palo Alto’s Earth Day event will feature an induction cooking demo by an award-winning chef. Atherton and Mountain View will also be hosting events featuring plant-based bites.
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Attention all food lovers, April 19th – 27 is your chance to try specialty dishes at some of your favorite local restaurants
Explore Peninsula Restaurant Week’s dining deals from nearly 100 local restaurants. > LEARN MORE
Iberian ham-flavored potato chips and focaccia sandwiches from Il Mercato di Che Fico
Miniaturize Eataly and mix it with Erewhon and you’ll get Il Mercato di Che Fico, the newest addition to Menlo Park’s Springline development. Created by the same team that brought you Che Fico, Che Fico Alimentari and Che Fico Parco Menlo, this Italian market offers housemade pasta, pasta sauce, soup, gelato and focaccia sandwiches by the pound, as well as refrigerated goods and pantry items from Italian, local and specialty brands.
I loaded up my basket with whatever looked especially tasty to me. My haul included: Galvanina organic pomegranate sparkling flavored beverage, the Y’at focaccia sandwich (mortadella, soppressata, rosemary ham, mayo, tapenade and provolone), the La Mortazza focaccia sandwich (mortadella, pesto, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, extra virgin olive oil, Maldon salt and black pepper), Palo Alto Firefighters XXX ghost pepper sauce, Torres Selecta Iberian ham-flavored potato chips and La Fermière pistachio creme dessert.
To watch what I thought about the products I picked out, visit our Instagram @peninsulafoodist.
Il Mercato di Che Fico, 1300 El Camino Real Suite A, Menlo Park; 650-999-0491, Instagram: @mercatodichefico. Open daily 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Medicine & the Muse Student Symposium & Stanford Medicine Orchestra Concert, April 10
We are proud to announce this year’s annual Medicine & the Muse Student Symposium at Bing Concert Hall to celebrate the many artistic, literary, musical and other creative scholarly talents of Stanford Medicine students. The Symposium also features a performance by the Stanford Health Orchestra, comprised of Stanford Medicine and Stanford Health faculty, staff, students, as well as community members. Join us! > LEARN MORE
‘Food Origins’ podcast delves into Peninsula food scene and how restaurateurs got their start
David Sands: ‘I let them tell their story’
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We cover the dynamic, under-the-radar food scene around the Peninsula through articles, interviews and eating excursions. Pass along tips, comments and recipes to PeninsulaFoodist@PaloAltoOnline.com.
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Mountain View moves forward with $4.6M plan to fix eroded banks at Stevens CreekMay 5, 2026 11:19 am
