Roy Choi: Kimchi in the Car & Cheese on Ramen

There’s something wonderfully relatable about a chef whose journey started with a trunk full of kimchi and a childhood love for instant ramen. Roy Choi’s story is all about being resourceful, blending cultures, and keeping it real. Growing up, he watched his entrepreneurial parents work tirelessly — his mom was known for selling homemade kimchi from the family car at parks and community gatherings — and those early experiences still influence every dish he creates.

Fast forward a few years, and Choi channeled that same grassroots spirit into Kogi, a food truck venture that changed the game for street food and brought Korean-American flavors into the spotlight in the U.S. The impact was both simple and profound: think short rib tacos, kimchi quesadillas, and a reminder that comfort food can tell a rich cultural story.

And then there’s that little ritual many Korean-American kids know all too well: jazzing up instant ramen. For Choi, adding a slice of American cheese to instant ramen isn’t a culinary faux pas — it’s a blend of nostalgia, practicality, and pure joy. He’s shared this sentiment in cookbooks and interviews, transforming those single-serve noodles into a heartfelt, comforting meal with a gooey slice of cheese, some scallions, and an egg.

This article dives into the origins of those moments — exploring where they come from, their cultural significance, and how Roy Choi turned everyday ingredients into a movement that changed the way America eats.

Early life and family influences — selling kimchi from his mom’s car

Roy Choi grew up in a family where food and entrepreneurship were deeply connected. His parents operated small businesses — from restaurants to a liquor store, and even jewelry — while his mother turned her homemade kimchi into a little venture of her own. She would take jars of her kimchi to parks and bowling alleys, selling them right from the trunk of her car. Those vivid scenes — sticky rice on a paper plate, spicy kimchi on the side, and families coming together in a colorful mix of communities — served as a hands-on culinary education.

So, why is this important? Because Choi discovered early on that food was about more than just following a recipe: it represented identity, comfort, and a way to make a living. This blend of culture and commerce influenced everything he created later on: approachable dishes, reasonable prices, and the belief that amazing food should be available where people naturally gather — whether that’s at a park or on a busy street corner. These roots also shed light on his profound respect for cooking that evokes memories: recipes are like family heirlooms, and simple ingredients can transport us back to rich histories.

The rise of Kogi BBQ and the fusion food movement

When Choi kicked off Kogi in Los Angeles back in the late 2000s, he did something that, looking back, seems like a no-brainer: he mixed Korean flavors with the familiar format of Mexican tacos and cleverly used social media and guerrilla marketing to park his truck where the crowds were. The outcome? Instant cultural buzz. Kogi wasn’t just about selling tacos — it was about sharing a concept: that fusion could be both fun and genuine, and that street food could spark meaningful cross-cultural conversations.

Kogi’s triumph also sparked a larger transformation. Food trucks evolved from being a late-night snack option to a launching pad for chefs and innovative cuisines. Choi’s method was less about being trendy and more about bridging gaps — taking flavors, textures, and memories and presenting them in ways that everyone could enjoy right away. That’s what fusion cooking is all about: honoring the original cuisines while crafting something that feels fresh and inevitable.

The cultural significance of instant ramen and American cheese

Instant ramen is more than just a quick meal; for countless immigrant families and college students, it represents comfort, affordability, and a fast remedy for homesickness. Choi has always embraced the idea of “doctored” instant ramen — those simple enhancements that transform a basic packet into a heartwarming bowl — and one of his go-to additions is surprisingly straightforward: American cheese. When it melts, it brings a creamy texture and a nostalgic, diner-like richness that pairs beautifully with the salty, savory broth.

So, why American cheese? It melts effortlessly, has a long shelf life, and evokes memories of the Western comfort foods that many Korean-American kids grew up enjoying. This practice beautifully blends cultures: a Korean-style noodle dish elevated with an American melting cheese. It perfectly captures the essence of the Korean-American culinary experience — a delightful mix that’s both innovative and unapologetically tasty.

Practical ramen doctoring tips inspired by Choi:

• Drain some broth, then add a splash of broth back for controlled saltiness.
• Top with a poached or soft-boiled egg for richness.
• Add a slice of American cheese at the end, stirring until it melts into a silky broth.
• Finish with scallions, toasted sesame seeds, and a teaspoon of gochujang or chili oil for heat.

Roy Choi’s philosophy on food accessibility and identity

Choi has been a passionate advocate for using food as a means of promoting equity. His early projects, like Kogi and later LocoL, along with other initiatives, focused on making food affordable, accessible, and community-oriented. He firmly believes that good food shouldn’t be restricted by price tags or fleeting trends; instead, it should be rooted in culture and available where people actually live. You can see this philosophy reflected in his cookbooks and public appearances, where he emphasizes recipes that are not just aspirational but also practical and nourishing.

This belief is closely tied to the idea of car-trunk kimchi: food has the power to bring people together, sustain them, and even provide income for those on the fringes. Choi’s journey is as much about creating systems that ensure good food is within reach for everyone as it is about the art of fine dining.

Lessons from Choi’s entrepreneurial journey

There are several clear lessons in Roy Choi’s path from kid in the backseat to culinary pioneer:

1. Start where people are. Kogi used events, parks, and social media to meet customers where they already convened.Thrillist
2. Make authenticity accessible. Translate complex flavors into formats people recognize — tacos, bowls, sandwiches.
3. Use storytelling. Choi sells context: the origin of a kimchi, the memory in a bowl of ramen. People eat stories.
4. Be resourceful and iterative. Choi’s ramen and kimchi stories show that small tweaks (a cheese slice, a jar of homemade kimchi) can carry outsized cultural meaning.

These are practical lessons for food entrepreneurs and content creators alike: authenticity plus accessibility equals scale.

How he’s reshaping food narratives in America

Choi’s impact on culture is both practical and symbolic. On a practical level, he inspired a whole generation to embrace bolder flavors and explore fusion cuisine beyond the confines of fancy restaurants. Symbolically, he transformed the narrative around immigrant food, shifting it from being an “ethnic side note” to a vital part of American cuisine. By shining a light on the everyday (like a simple slice of cheese or a jar of kimchi), he turned routine food practices into a national dialogue about identity. Food critics, chefs, and home cooks alike have taken notice; thanks to chefs like Choi, the American culinary landscape is now more welcoming to hybrid, immigrant-inspired dishes.

His recent cookbook and media appearances carry on this mission: showing home cooks how to create bold flavors that are easy to achieve while emphasizing that food can be both enjoyable and politically charged.

Legacy in a melted slice

Roy Choi’s journey, from the back of his mother’s car to the national spotlight, is a beautiful story of humility, curiosity, and relentless creativity. The tales resonate because they’re relatable and deeply human: a mother selling kimchi at the park, a kid melting American cheese into a hot bowl of ramen. These little moments serve as gateways to larger themes about diaspora identity, culinary innovation, and the role of food as both comfort and a form of currency.

Choi’s impact goes beyond the dishes he made famous; he empowered a generation to transform their memories into new culinary expressions. Whether it’s Kogi’s iconic tacos, the unique kimchi-philly fusion, or a comforting bowl of ramen topped with a gooey slice of cheese, his creations remind us that food can be simple, political, and profoundly personal all at once. For home cooks and restaurant owners alike, the message is clear: cherish your roots, share your flavors with confidence, and don’t hesitate to adapt them for the people around you.