Yong Kim was born in Suwon, Korea, and was six years old when his family immigrated to the United States. His father was part of the first group of engineers to set up the Samsung Electronics branch in Silicon Valley. The family of four had no relatives in America, and Yong served as his mom’s kimchi taster. As Yong grew into his teens, issues of identity played a pivotal role in how he viewed the world and where he fit into it. At the University of California, San Diego, he played guitar in a Korean American punk-pop band called Nemo. After college, he spent seven years in corporate advertising.

When his brother invited him to help sell Korean BBQ sausages at a festival, his personal life was in tatters. He had quit advertising, and at thirty years of age, all his belongings fit inside his Jeep Cherokee. But he shared his brother’s vision of bringing their Korean American flavors to the masses. Seoul Sausage entered and won season three of the Food Network’s “Great Food Truck Race”, earning them $50,000 and a new food truck to go along with their new brick-and-mortar in West LA.

Yong and his wife, Janice, have three children, Olive, Cleo, and Rocky. His favorite Korean food is and always will be kkakdoogee.