Jayden Bang, a sous chef at Toronto's Richmond Station, found himself with a new business opportunity when the pandemic struck. And, like many great ideas, the Toronto-based company, AVECJAYDEN, arose from a place of passion and boredom.
"I had always dreamed of opening up my own Korean market, but it wasn't until the pandemic that I found myself with the extra time to do so," says Bang.
Ever since last year, Bang has been working on perfecting his Kimchi recipe on his days off work. With the help of his wife, he's managed to bring a delectable version of the wildly popular Korean dish to Toronto's food scene––one that's spicy, bubbly, and crunchy.
"There's nothing like homemade kimchi," Bang explains. "When I moved to Canada six years ago, it was nearly impossible to find Kimchi that resembled the one I was used to eating back in Korea, one that was well-balanced in flavour and texture."
So Bang decided to take matters into his own hands, dedicating more time into perfecting his rendition of kimchi to Toronto and making one of the country's most well-known exports as authentic as possible.
"It took me months to perfect my Kimchi recipe," Bang says. "Among other things, I realized that time is the most essential ingredient when it comes to this Korean dish. Unlike more common versions, I rely on a slower fermentation process, which results in a much more complex and delicious flavour."
And that isn't the only difference between Bang's Kimchi and others.
Instead of "mak" kimchi, Bang makes "pogi" kimchi, which ages more slowly than mak due to the larger cabbage wedges that the pogi method uses. This means that that a jar of AVEJAYDEN's Kimchi is not readily available, but rather, prepared and served fresh for each customer.
Requiring a much longer preparation process than that of what is available in the fridges of your local grocery store, Bang's kimchi recipe calls for an overnight brine of mu, scallions, garlic, apple, ginger and Korean chili flakes, six hours of straining and four days of fermentation.
"I always say that when it comes to fermentation, the slower, the better."
Currently, AVECJAYDEN offers a variety of Korean delicacies, including their OG Mu Kimchi, Baek Kimchi, Radish Kimchi or "Seok Bak" and even an array of Kalbi sausages. In the future, Bang intends to expand this menu to incorporate some hot sauces and gochujang, a Korean red chili paste. Additionally, he has more elaborate plans for the future of his business.
"Down the line, I want to open up my own storefront. It will look like your typical grocery store, but everything will be made in-house. From our kimchi jars to our Kalbi sausages, every AVECJAYDEN creation will be crafted using only the freshest and finest ingredients."
At the moment, the home business is solely operating through Instagram, with pre-orders placed via DM a week in advance and pickup details and payment provided through messaging.
