Sue’s Kimbap House has been a culinary hallmark inside the lobby of the Bank of New Hampshire Stage for the past 18 months, with chef Susan Chung filling people’s stomachs with kimbap rolls, beef bulgogi and a whole array of other Korean specialties.
With Chung’s time as the Culinary Artist in Residence for the Capitol Center for the Arts drawing to a close, she’s leaving Main Street and charting her next steps with a new prepared foods business, 603 Meal Prep.
“I think the connection with food is something that, my whole life, I felt that connected people. You can meet people from all different cultures, different countries, and food is the one thing that people can understand and enjoy together,” she said.
603 Meal Prep, which will move to Georgia’s Northside on North State Street at the end of the month, aims to make healthy global cuisine accessible to the community.
“Not only are we helping athletes reach their goal, people who are starting to be more health conscious, but we’re also helping mothers and families have an opportunity to get a healthy meal for their family and take that stress and worry out of their lives,” said Chung, who ventured into meal prep at the start of the year.
Chung had a rich background in fashion, graphic design and teaching English as a second language before she first branched out into the food industry and created the Kimbap House.
She said feeding people has always been a value she held close. When she heard about the Culinary Artist in Residence program through the Multicultural Festival, she jumped at the chance.
“The best part about being able to offer Korean food was just I’ve never seen so much excitement, smiles, joy that you can bring to people,” she said. “And just a lot of people were truly shocked about how much they loved the food, that they wouldn’t have had a chance to try it otherwise.”
The residency program functions as an “incubator,” according to Sal Prizio, the executive director of the Capitol Center for the Arts. It provides a low-risk opportunity for a new business to get off the ground and share new flavors with Concord residents and visitors.
“It’s a really interesting way for us as a community to expand our palates and learn more about different cultures,” he said.
Both Prizio and Chung view food as an art form.
“You’re creating something that people can enjoy,” Chung said.
She has relished getting her food in front of new audiences and hopes to continue to do so with 603 Meal Prep. Having lived in Brazil for a number of years, she seeks to inject other global influences into the meals she serves.
As her new business takes off, Chung will be folding in favorite menu items from Sue’s Kimbap. There may not be a food counter any longer, customers will still have opportunities to eat the staples they know and love.
Chung initially weighed moving into a food truck or a brick-and-mortar restaurant. The risk of running a restaurant in the current economy while balancing her family life with two teenage boys felt too large. Then she decided upon a meal prep service, which could ultimately serve as a stepping stone to a global foods market or something else entirely.
Connecting with Alan Natkiel, owner of Georgia’s Northside, helped shape her current trajectory.
“His set-up is perfect, because it used to be a market, and so then we can both stock our pre-made meals,” she said. “He has some soups and other pies and other dishes as well, but I think it’ll benefit the both of us, and since he does have more restaurant catering experience, I think it’ll be a place where we can continue to grow.”
The Capitol Center for the Arts aims to select its next Culinary Artist in Residency in the fall.
603 Meal Prep will operate out of Georgia’s Northside beginning March 1. Meal pickup will be on Sundays for customers with weekly subscriptions. The storefront will also stock other prepared meals, and some 603 Meal Prep options will be available at the Concord Food Co-op.
For more information, visit 603mealprep.com.
