Appetites: Why leave L.A.?
Go Deeper.
Create an account or log in to save stories.
Like this?
Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

When Thomas Kim moved to Minnesota from Los Angeles, it confused us. He didn't have roots here. He found success with several restaurants in L.A.
So why would he want to come here?
"Minneapolis was everything that I think my wife and I were looking for," he said. "It had a great music scene, art scene, theater. It had a brewery scene that was kind of emerging, the food scene was kind of emerging. It kind of was the epitome of where we wanted to get in on and be able to grow and help grow the culture."
Kim is the chef and owner — along with his wife Kat — of The Rabbit Hole, a Korean-inspired restaurant in the Midtown Global Market.
He joined MPR News host Tom Crann to discuss his journey from California, the learning curve once he got here and the non-traditional Korean "gyopo" cuisine from which he takes influence.
Editor's Note (March 17, 2016): This story has been modified to add cultural context for the word "gyopo."
Turn Up Your Support
MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all.
Dear reader,
Political debates with family or friends can get heated. But what if there was a way to handle them better?
You can learn how to have civil political conversations with our new e-book!
Download our free e-book, Talking Sense: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better, and learn how to talk without the tension.