You may have even been to her restaurant Arlo Grey in Austin, Texas.
EatingWell: What does eating well mean to you?
I’m taking care of myself.
Jongga Kimchi and Ham Puff Pastry Roll.LegendPR
So, fried chicken once a week instead of like seven times, is the main idea.
EatingWell: What other foods are you striving for harmony with?
I didn’t want to cook for myself.
Jongga Kimchi and Ham Puff Pastry Roll.LegendPR
I don’t find joy in cooking for myself.
I just don’t; nothing tastes the same.
Food is a love language of sorts, and therefore cooking for myself brings me no pleasure.
EatingWell: Speaking of Thanksgiving, what does your Thanksgiving look like?
I mean, I’m a big fan of green bean casserole, honestly.
But if I’m being completely honest, it will be really pleasant just to go out to dinner.
EatingWell: Being so busy, how do you keep up a healthy eating pattern?
Kish:That’s really hard.
I wish I had this great, amazing answer.
Some days I’m really good at it.
And then some days I’m just awful at it.
So again, it’s about finding that harmony, bouncing back and forth.
But I do believe wholeheartedly that our bodies tell us when they’re not doing great.
EatingWell: Tell me about your partnership with Jongga Kimchi.
It must be rooted in your love of kimchi?
Kish:So many people love it!
For most of my life I’ve eaten Korean food.
I’ve always eaten kimchi.
It’s a complicated relationship to have.
I just need to learn how to incorporate things like kimchi into my cuisine.
Once I gave myself permission to do that, I was really excited.
That’s why I was thrilled to work with Jongga.
EatingWell: What are some of your favorite ways to use kimchi?
When I grew up, my dad would make honey mustard and we’d dip it in that.
EatingWell: You have five minutes for lunch, what are you making?
Kish:Oh my god.
Okay, so this is the thing I became obsessed with in Korea.
you’re free to make that in five minutes, using pretty much whatever is in your refrigerator.
EatingWell: Is there a certain dish that was pivotal to you in your career?
Early on in my career, I was in Berlin at a tasting-menu restaurant, sitting at the counter.
At that point, I was cooking very, very fancy, fancy fancy food.
That changed the trajectory of my entire career.
It showed me that I was overcomplicating things.
I was trying to do too much and I was overthinking.
I was going off course from my own food story.
My mom would make a piece of fish, mashed potatoes and throw some steamed spinach on the side.
But he made it into this technically luscious, perfect dish.
That was a really nice and necessary reminder that I was just overthinking a little too much.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
