Eat Athens: Local chef's to-go service offers Asian fusion with a Southern twist

It's very common to get a glimpse into the life of a singer-songwriter through their music and lyrics, but having that experience through food is a rare find outside of upscale dining or being invited to someone's home.

Athens will soon get the chance to walk through a local chef's culinary journey that began in Georgia, traveled across the world and back again.

Chef Eve's Kitchen is scheduled to host a Spring Taster 6-8 p.m. Friday at Classic City Kitchen, located at 655 Hawthorne Ave., Unit C. The event is free and open to the public, and guests will be able to sample some of Kim's top-selling dishes from her menu of Asian and international food prepared with a signature Southern twist.

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Born in Florida and raised in Georgia, Kim began cooking at age 10 for her parents and siblings in the Atlanta area. The cuisine was traditional Southern style, but Kim found herself in a bit of a dilemma later in life when she moved to South Korea for a teaching job and was unable to find ingredients there to cook for herself. After dining out with co-workers, Kim fell in love with Korean food and began developing her own original recipes.

"I never took culinary classes or anything like that," Kim told the Banner-Herald. "I grew up cooking for a large group of people, and I almost had a mental breakdown when I got to Seoul and couldn't just buy what I needed to make soul food. I ended up learning how to make Asian dishes, just in my typical way."

Over the six years that Kim lived overseas, she returned to the states for a nine-month stint as executive chef at her parents' restaurant, Nefetari's in Tallahassee, Florida. It was there that Kim learned food preparation, handling, safety, presentation and service in a professional environment, which lead to her starting Chef Eve's Kitchen after returning to the U.S. with her husband in 2016 and settling in Commerce, Georgia.

At the Spring Taster event, Kim will have samples of her best-selling menu items such as Bang Bang chicken, beef bulgogi japchae and pork kimchi soup. For vegetarians, there will be a meatless version of the japchae. An alcohol-free punch will be served at the taster, but guests are welcome to bring their own beverages as well.

Since Chef Eve's Kitchen isn't a sit-down restaurant, Kim has partnered with Classic City Kitchen owners Mark Dehning and Cody Laas to prepare all of her menu items at the facility and offer them on a to-go basis where customers place orders online and pick up pre-made refrigerated meals that can be reheated anytime.

Full portions will be available for sale at the event, which is handy because everyone will become instantly addicted to Kim's Bang Bang sauce.

To get a look at the full menu at Eve's Kitchen and place online orders, visit chefevedkim.com.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: Eve's Kitchen offers Asian fusion with a Southern twist