Korean American business serves J’can community in NY

NEW YORK:

Korean American business entrepreneur Joanna Chung loves Jamaica! She confesses to being enamoured by the beautiful beaches and lush vegetation of the island. She gushed about the Jamaican people, the rich culture and her love for reggae music, describing reggae king Bob Marley and singer Christopher Martin among her favourite artistes.

She spoke passionately about Little Ochie Seafood Restaurant & Bar in Alligator Pond, St Elizabeth, her favourite spot to feast on red snapper fish and lobster tail with bammy. Her eyes lit up when she spoke about eating Jamaican jerk oxtail at her favourite Jamaican restaurant in the Bronx, New York, which she enjoys with breadfruit.

“I love jerk. I know in Jamaica, jerk oxtail is not a thing, but I love it!” she said emphatically.

Chung has another connection with the ‘land of wood and water’. She is CEO of SY Grace Supermarket, located on Boston Road in the North Bronx that has thrived for the past 30 years selling Jamaican produce, fresh fish, ackee, callaloo, breadfruit, yam, banana, plantain and cho cho to a community that yearns for a taste of things from ‘yard’.

“When my dad Sea Y Chung, the company’s founder and visionary, migrated from Korea to America in the ‘70s, he did not know the country nor did he speak the language. The only two people he knew were his uncle and aunt who owned a fish market. They offered him a job to clean the fish and he worked and learned everything he could. He saved his money and eventually opened his own fish store in the Bronx that attracted Jamaican customers in droves,” she told The Gleaner.

“He rarely took a day off even when he was sick. Slowly he built a reputation for selling the best-quality fish. If it is not fresh he is not gonna sell it!” she proclaimed.

Soon customers started asking for products like thyme, Scotch bonnet pepper and callaloo.

“The requests kept coming and with them the idea to start selling other Jamaican products was born,” Chung disclosed.

ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP

Today SY Grace has significantly expanded its operation, stocking all things Jamaican, from St Mary’s Banana Chips to east Indian and Julie mangoes (when the fruits are in season) and white and yellow yam.

Chung is an active contributor to the Jamaican/Caribbean diaspora which has been so supportive. She has zoomed into giving back through education. Last year, she launched an academic scholarship programme that provided financial assistance to a lucky student pursuing a bachelor’s degree at The University of the West Indies, Mona campus in St. Andrew.

“I know the importance of education, and how a degree can give a person opportunities. There are many bright minds who miss out on opportunities because they lack the funds for higher education. This is why I have pledged to award the scholarship annually to a student,” she promised.

This past Easter, the Bronx establishment led a fundraising initiative at the Grand Concourse Seventh Day Adventist Temple in the Bronx to raise funds to purchase and install an electric stair lift for seniors who can no longer climb the stairs. The donation included multiple cases of cheese that were sold along with Easter buns that were donated by another vendor.

“We focus on causes that align with our commitment to making a lasting social and economic impact to the community. From product and monetary donations to our customers, to implementing raffles at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. We offer attractive prizes because we believe it is important to be a good corporate neighbour. We are currently putting plans in place to host a mammoth customer-appreciation day later this summer,” she shared.

FRIENDLY SHOPPING EXPERIENCE

Chung and manager Jason Pak have whipped up enthusiasm among customers, providing a friendly ‘back in Jamaica’ shopping experience. The friendly staff, some of whom are Jamaican immigrants, are always ready to serve with an ear-to-ear smile.

“If someone left Jamaica and came to our store in New York, I want them to have the same experience as if they were shopping at home. That’s our ultimate goal right now,” she stated.

“I have been living here in Mt Vernon, New York since 1988 and I am a regular customer of SY Grace,” Jamaica-born Althea Spence shared.

“I like to get my yellow yam, Scotch bonnet pepper, callaloo, Easter buns and other Jamaican products there. Feels like I am shopping back in Kingston where I am from,” she said.

“The US FDA restricts a lot of things,” Chung explained, “Jamaican mangoes, for example, are very difficult to bring in. There are certain other fruits that I would love to import like otaheite apple. We also can’t bring sweetsop from Jamaica. The (FDA) are not allowing them in. We have to bring them in from elsewhere. I love Jamaican fruits. I have tasted many of them myself. Whatever I can bring in, my goal is to bring them all in,” she noted.

During the recent COVID-19 lockdown that severely impacted local farmers in Jamaica, Chung and her husband found a way to assist, launching the Jam KooKoo brand.

“Jam Kookoo is a brand that represents all things Jamaican that came to fruition during the pandemic. My husband made contact with a business partner in Jamaica, and a decision was made to move forward with the project. We have ackee and callaloo that is grown and canned in Jamaica and exported to NYC. So far, our clients, especially Jamaica diasporians, have embraced it,” she stated.