I’m Jessie, the maker behind Cabbage Patch Kimchi. I grew up surrounded by nature, with hardworking parents who cultivated and nurtured an organic garden. Through my youth, I lived in a small town and read books to escape, which in turn spurred my imagination to soar to unknown places. Before I knew it, I had wanderlust and ended up travelling for a number of years.
My last adventure took me to Korea where I was an ESL teacher for four years. My first few weeks there were disconcerting; how was I going to live in a country that seemed to eat only one dish? Yes, kimchi was at the epicenter of every meal. Not only was it a key, if not central, ingredient in the main dish, but all of the side dishes were also comprised of kimchi, as there are over 100 different types. I grew to love kimchi. I craved it in the morning, at lunch, and for dinner! No meal seemed to be complete without it. I loved the way it made me feel. I was energized and I had mental clarity and focus.
While there, I wanted to make my own kimchi at home because I had heard that the store bought products were full of additives. Yes, I was becoming a kimchi connoisseur of sorts. So, I asked all of my Korean friends my age to teach me and discovered that it seemed to be a dying art. So, I did two things. First, I enrolled in a course at a kimchi culinary school and learned the art of making kimchi. Then, I asked one of the older teachers at my school to help me refine my process and she was delighted. Making kimchi is a laborious process done with love to produce a delicious result.
When I arrived back in Canada I realized a major part of my diet was missing. I wasn't going to be able to have kimchi with the regularity that I had become accustomed to. Consequently, this was where Cabbage Patch Kimchi was born. I want to be able to share authentic Korean kimchi with people so they can enjoy the health benefits of eating a non-dairy probiotic as much as I do!