Bringing a taste of the Korean cuisine of my youth to Cork

Is K-Pop a total bop? Have you binge watched Squid Game? Do you dream of Korean Fried Chicken and Bao Buns? Is Kimchi life and Gochujang extra?

If so, the global phenomenon of Korean Culture has gotten under your skin – and you probably like it a lot!

In 2023, Jay Choi began a small Korean food business called OGAM Korean from her home kitchen in Blackrock, making pre-marinated pouches of finely sliced beef for Bulgogi and pork for Jeyuk Bokkeum.

These days, it is Jay’s signature Korean BBQ sauces that pull all her creative focus – winning her recognition in prestigious food awards in the process. Her Original BBQ sauce gained two stars at this year’s Great Taste Awards, and one star for her Spicy Gochujang sauce.

Original BBQ has also been selected as a finalist for the Blas na hÉireann Irish Food Awards 2025.

It sounds like an overnight success, but in reality, it has been 24 years in the making.

Jay left Korea aged 24 and headed to London where she lived for 15 years working as a chartered management accountant with international auction house Bonham’s and where she met her Corkonian husband.

But life suddenly changed after their son was diagnosed with autism. Life demanded a drastic change, and a return to Cork was the perfect answer.

“I wanted to provide a friendly, nice place, surrounded by nature for my son,” says Jay. “He was aged five when we moved back here, and about to start school at Shine in Carrigaline, a special school for kids with autism.

“I started to get to know the community, about special needs, and the autistic world opened the door for me to know people. I don’t regret moving to Cork, it’s a great experience, but at the same time it’s been really tough. We have had to fight for everything to get services for my son.”

Jay’s son is now 14, thriving and about to start secondary school. A daughter completed their family, and Jay is a devoted mother and advocate for both her children.

“That journey toughened me up, and I got stronger as well. When I look back now, I think that time shaped me to be the person I am now. Everything was challenging; Mommy turning into warrior!”

The nugget of the idea for OGAM came during the great pause of the covid years. Jay’s children were growing up, and she allowed herself to look to her own future and ask what she wanted to be; what she wanted to do.

“I say I want to enjoy things, but I don’t want to go back to the boring job, so maybe try something different.

“What I’m enjoying is food, and what I’m good at is business skills, so I can combine with it and start as something small.”

Zipping through the Cork countryside between home and school, cows pepper the green fields. Beef, Jay realised, is abundant, premium, and a food that could perfectly marry Irish and Korean tastes.

“I thought about how Korean culture and drama is getting really big, so maybe food? But I don’t have a food background; I’m only cooking at home and so I just combine what I can do best. I started thinking about marinating meat because it’s so handy, it’s so good flavour, so that’s how it started.”

During a birthday meal, Jay told her husband she was going to start her own business.

After returning from a visit to Korea later that year, Jay threw herself into courses with her Local Enterprise Office, learning all she needed to know about starting a food business.

OGAM Korean began trading in September, 2023, selling pouches of pre-marinaded meat, taking a stall at Ballymaloe Craft Fair in November and selling out of everything every day.

“It was amazing to see so many people enjoy it and receiving great feedback.

“It built my confidence to kick on and that this was something I could do. It was a great experience.

“Then I knocked the door to Blackrock Supervalu. I said, I’m local, can you try it? They really liked it, so it went on the shelf there.”

But in 2024, Jay began to run into issues around supply and costs, both of which were hampering her ability to scale up.

“By January, 2025, I realised I couldn’t bear the cost. The meat price within three months had gone up nearly 30%, and by March I decided to stop making the pouches.”

But the years of fighting for her son had fortified Jay with a well of resilience to lean into.

The pouches had been a success – but not necessarily for the beef or pork inside. Rather, it was the flavour of the sauces the meats were marinaded in that people wanted.

“There was a bit of quick thinking, and I decided to run with the sauce. I bottled the sauce, made a new label, and launched it at Ballymaloe Food Festival in May this year. It was all last minute,” says Jay - and it all sold out.

OGAM Korean does have its competitors, so how do Jay’s sauces differ?

“When I went to London, I was 24, and I’ve been overseas 24 years now. When I go back to Korea to visit, I am still Korean but at the same time I’m kind of stopped at 24 - especially when it comes to the flavour and taste of Korean food,” says Jay.

“When I go back, I feel the taste is different to what I remember when I first left home. The level of the sweetness is stronger now than when I was growing up, and because of Western cultures coming in and a new generation, they’re looking for a different flavour which tends to be more artificial sweet rather than natural sweetness.

“In a way, I’m glad I preserved that old flavour in my mind,” says Jay. “I remember old memories of my mom and my dad – both are good cooks, and my mom is from the best region of food in South Korea and the variety of it is unbelievable. Luckily, I had that experience.

“When I started making bulgogi for people, they all liked different things. So, I say: My tongue; my flavour! Go with it, and eventually I find the flavour, adjusting a little amount here and there to find a sweet spot.

“The sauce is the same. Anyone can buy all ingredients to make a sauce, and there are so many recipes out there for Korean chicken, but it’s completely different than what I am making. I try to make something that’s easier and accessible that people can enjoy and be as authentic as possible. That brings the whole thing together. You can see the ingredients on the back, minimum ingredients, as simple as possible.” Korean cuisine is based on a simple triumvirate of rice, vegetables and meat or fish – the most important of which is rice, which is eaten with every single meal and surrounded by a series of side dishes, or banchan, such as kimchi, to add layers of flavour to each meal. A soup is always served as part of the banchan, to create a balanced meal both in terms of nutrition and flavour.

“In the morning, we eat like a king; lunch is a smaller portion, and dinner you eat like a beggar. The first meal of the day is always the biggest; you’re starting your day, so you need to have a meal full of energy. It’s a family meal, and there is a big bowl of rice for sharing. Normally, we have rice, a small portion of a soup, and loads of side dishes.

“Korean food is for sharing, and it is so addictive, especially spicy food. If someone asks me, can I stop eating spicy food, I say no, I can’t! Spicy food is my addiction!” Sweet, spicy, and devilishly moreish, it’s no wonder OGAM Korean sauces are enjoying the success they are. Made in small batches by hand using simple ingredients, they are versatile too – good for marinating meat, fish or vegetables, as a dip, in a stir fry, or a flourishing finish on grilled goodies.

But what does OGAM mean?

“It is a Korean word that means ‘five senses’”, explains Jay. “On the label, on the top right corner, is Korean lettering – that is OGAM in Korean. This is also the first letter of Korean; a really old letter. It sounds very similar to the old Irish alphabet, Ogham.

“The five senses, when I do tastings, people see it, smell it, touch it and taste it and they love it. That’s why I chose the name OGAM. I want people to experience the food with all their senses.” The journey for Jay has been an unconventional one for sure, but taking the big decision to refocus on developing her sauces is paying off, providing a much needed confidence boost.

“To receive news we had won Great Taste awards was, wow, just amazing, especially as I don’t have a food background - I just do it! Trusting myself is kind of hard sometimes, so to be recognised is beyond my expectations. I’m so happy, and it builds my confidence.” That confidence is turning into a growing number of stockists of both sauces in Cork and Dublin.

“In Cork, OGAM Korean sauces are available at Farmshop in Marina Market and Douglas, Supervalu Blackrock, Kinsale and Glanmire (hopefully soon in Ballincollig and Midleton), and Bakestone Café in Cork City and Carrigtwohill.

“In Dublin, we started supplying Asia Market, Ireland’s biggest Asian supermarket, and Coreana Supermarket in Smithfield.

“It’s another landmark for us to be in Dublin as well as Cork,” says Jay. “Korean food is still a niche market, so you need to go where people demand it. Cork is a great place, but at the same time I want to expand. Going to Dublin is challenging, but it’s great to be there.” From chartered management accountant to stay-at-home mum to award-winning food business entrepreneur, it has been a journey for Jay Choi, but could this be the tip of the iceberg?

“People today can live up to 100 years old. If you retire at 67 and if you live to 90, you still have 20-30 years in which you can do something.

“I decided I could start to build something, and if I try now, it’s better than starting at 60. Now my motto is: Try everything, start small and you will always find your way.”