【一食一客】洛杉矶 | Chris Kim，Haus by Coffee Hunter

Chris Kim

Haus by Coffee Hunter, 洛杉矶

“有机会我想见见星巴克的创始人，告诉他停止做这么名不副其实的咖啡，还向人们传播了如此不正确的咖啡理念。”

时间：2015年4月17日 11AM

地点：洛杉矶，Haus by Coffee Hunter on 6th St. in Koreatown

受访者：Chris Kim，Haus by Coffee Hunter餐厅主人。在首尔出生、长大、读书。1999年，移居美国夏威夷；3年前搬来洛杉矶。

采访者@Chihuo：珂莱尔、Yunzhu

摄影@Chihuo：Yunzhu

文字@Chihuo：淳鱼儿、Jocelyn

提到夏威夷，你最先会想起的吃的东西是什么？

芒果，木瓜和菠萝。

在洛杉矶生活了3年之后，你会怎样评价这个城市？

我很喜欢生活在洛杉矶，这里比夏威夷更大更繁华。但是我打算退休之后搬回夏威夷，因为那里的生活更放松。在夏威夷，人们见面会彼此问候“阿罗哈（Aloha）“，是说天气很好，环境很好，人也很好的意思。在洛杉矶，就不是这样的。

那如果用味道形容洛杉矶呢？

融合。这里有世界各地的人和他们不同的文化。

当初为什么会开Haus呢？

我在韩国的时候有开过相似的店，叫Mango Six，是很多韩剧的取景地。Haus是我在洛杉矶的第一家店。

你在筹划Haus开业的过程中，遇到的最大的挑战是什么？

由于各个地区商业法律法规的不同，来洛杉矶之后，我需要了解这里的法律和税方面的规定。另外，Haus作为一个新店，也需要一些时间培养回头客。

但是我并没有担心太多，因为咖啡是很全球化的产品，人人都喜欢。另外，我有自己的咖啡农场，熟悉咖啡从种植到冲泡的每一个细节，很有信心顾客会喜欢我们的咖啡。

你会怎样判断咖啡质量的优良呢？

我是一个咖啡鉴赏师，判断咖啡的质量是我的专长。不同的咖啡有不同的味道，气味和口感，这都是由他们的产地决定的。在夏威夷，我们种植科纳（KONA）咖啡。科纳咖啡也是唯一一个源于美国本土的咖啡品种。

你是怎样和咖啡结下缘分的？

在韩国，有很多咖啡农业的会舍，我们经常会举办一些相关的活动，于是我有了机会了解咖啡。

科纳咖啡和其他品种的咖啡有什么不一样？

咖啡也是一种农作物，生长状况受自然气候影响很大。夏威夷的气候特别好，是世界上完美的咖啡种植地之一。中国的海南也可以种植咖啡。但是，大部分亚洲和欧洲国家不能种植咖啡，因为咖啡树不能在天气冷的地方生长。他们不得不依靠进口咖啡。

你说在你眼里，咖啡是一种新款葡萄酒，为什么这样形容咖啡呢？

咖啡和葡萄酒酒非常相似。首先，他们都来自于水果。我们用葡萄酿葡萄酒；我们剥开咖啡果的果壳儿，得到种子，经过一系列生产程序，获得咖啡豆。另外，产地不同，酒的口感不同；咖啡也一样。咖啡豆的出产地不一样，咖啡的气味，甜度，酸度和口感也会有差异。

有没有什么食物你认为是你生命中不可缺少的？

泡菜炒饭。

– 在洛杉矶也是么？

嗯，是的。泡菜炒饭在洛杉矶也是越来越流行。

对你而言，家的味道是什么呢？

辣和甜，哈哈，就像泡菜的味道一样。

你喜欢烹饪嘛？

嗯，我喜欢自己做饭，并且会尝试不同的料理。

那你自己有什么独家料理秘方么？

我们Haus有很多独家的料理就来源于我的私人料理经验，例如Haus的招牌菜明太子意面（Mentaiko spaghetti）。明太子就是明太鱼籽。我们用的明太鱼是来自阿拉斯加海的。在烹饪的过程中用蒜，洋葱和墨西哥胡椒为佐料，加一些黄油祛腥，最后，浇上一些调味汁点睛。

Haus营业以来，有没有什么顾客让你印象特别深刻？

有一个叫Troy的顾客，他几乎每天都来，还会带不同的朋友和他一起来。

另外美国演员Micky Rourke也经常来。在我们店里有他的照片。开始我并没有认出他，是这里的其他顾客告诉我的。他人很友好，很喜欢Haus的咖啡和食物，甚至说比星巴克的棒。

那么，你如何评价星巴克和Tom & Tom’s？

有很多开咖啡馆的人其实并不懂咖啡。在洛杉矶是这样的，在其他地方，以及在中国也是这样的。我认为星巴克是咖啡届的一朵“奇葩“，“垃圾咖啡“。而Tom & Tom’s 是“山寨星巴克“。

谈一谈你在洛杉矶最喜欢的餐厅吧，除了Haus之外？

我经常去Urth Cafe，虽然那里人总是很多。我希望把Haus打造成迷你版的Urth Cafe。Urth Cafe在韩国年轻一代中非常受欢迎。除了Urth Cafe的咖啡和食物之外，我还很欣赏它的经营理念。Urth的经理人开创Urth Cafe源于他去非洲旅行时非常特别的经历。当他看到在非洲当地，儿童被当作摘采咖啡果的廉价劳动力的时候，除了深深的震惊，也意识到他每天习以为常的美味咖啡竟然是来自这些可爱又无辜的孩子的劳动。回到洛杉矶后，他让更多的人知道了这个事实。现在，他以平价卖出咖啡，但会付给非洲的咖啡庄园主更多的价钱。从这个角度来说，他和其他很多商人都不一样。

那最喜欢的韩国餐厅呢？

Chosun Galbee （注：韩国烤肉店，地址：3330 W Olympic Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90019；Yelp评分四星，1172个评论）

我还很喜欢吃韩式中餐，例如炸酱面。

你有谈到很多关于Urth Cafe的企业社会角色，那么Haus的长远目标是不是也是回馈社会呢？

是的，我想把Haus打造成韩国城的Urth Cafe。我会在Haus坚持平价。我不仅仅钦佩Urth Cafe经理人，也很赞同他的经营理念。我自己也是农民，很清楚农民的艰辛。

如果你有机会选择和一个人吃饭，你会选择谁，可以是历史人物，也可以是小说中的角色？

星巴克的创始人吧，告诉他停止做这么名不副其实的咖啡。他向人们传播了不正确的咖啡理念。

您在工作之余有什么爱好呢？

我喜欢去尝不同的咖啡馆和餐馆，喜欢做关于咖啡的演讲。我在韩国曾在大学里教关于咖啡的课。在洛杉矶也有咖啡课，介绍不同的咖啡店和他们最新的菜单。

你有打算在中国开Haus分店么？

有的。我们最近正在和中国的合伙人洽谈合作可能性。我们计划在中国开100家连锁店。

有规划过会在中国哪个城市开第一家分点么？

可能是上海。除了中国本土市场，我们最近将在圣盖博开一家分店。我们当时花了六个月时间和中国合伙人洽谈。特许经营权在美国很难授权，有很多文书的工作和手续要完成。

请给我们推荐下下次采访对象？

我们Haus的Barrister（笑）。他之前可是模特哟。

以下为英文原文。

What food first comes to your mind when you think of Hawaii?

Mango, Papaya, Pineapple.

How long have you been in Los Angeles?

I came to LA 3 years ago.

What is your general impression of Los Angeles?

I like living here — LA is so much bigger and busier than Hawaii — but I want to go back to Hawaii when I retire. That’s a place more relaxed for enjoying life. In Hawaii people greet each other by saying “Aloha”. That also means good weather, good environment and good people. It’s not like that in LA.

What does LA taste to you?

Diversity. Different culture and different people.

Why did you want to open this restaurant?

This is my first cafe in Los Angeles. I had one in Korea called Mangosix. It’s filmed in many Korean drama.

What was the toughest challenge you have ever faced opening this restaurant?

There is a lot of different business conditions and regulations here. I need to figure out the laws and tax. Also, It took time to get regular customers.

However, I never worried too much, because coffee is a global product. Everyone likes it! And I’ve been doing farming in Hawaii and I own several coffee farms. I have the confident, because I know coffee very well from feed to brew. I know so much better than other local businessman about coffee brewing.

If given any type of coffee, can you tell the difference between their qualities?

Yes of course, that’s my specialty. I am a coffee taster. Different coffee has different flavors, aroma and textures. They all depend on the locations where it is grown. In Hawaii, we grow KONA coffee, and KONA is the only American local coffee.

Where did you learn the knowledge about coffee?

In Korea, there are communities about coffee farming. We hold workshops and events very frequently.

How is KONA different from other coffee?

Hawaii has very good weather condition. Coffee is an agricultural product, so it depends very heavily how weather. Have you ever seen a coffee tree and the coffee fruits?

– Yes, I saw once in China.

Right, China also grows coffee, in Hainan. However, most of the Asian countries cannot grow coffee, because coffee trees cannot survive in cold weather. So couldn’t European countries. They have to import coffee.

You told me that coffee is a new wine. Why would you say that?

Coffee and wine are very similar. First, they both come from fruits. Wine comes from grapes and coffee comes from coffee cherries. We remove the skin and the pulp, and the seeds are what we want. After a set of different procedures, they become coffee beans. Additionally, wines taste different based on their origins. So does coffee. In coffee, there are different aroma, different sweetness, different acidities and different bodies – body means the texture. When you drink milk, it tastes different from tasting water. We call this texture “body”.

Do you have any food that you cannot live without?

Oh, Kimchi fried rice.

– From here?

Haha yes. Kimchi fried rice is getting trendy among local residents.

What does home taste like to you?

Spicy and sweet. Haha I like Kimchi.

Do you like to cook?

Oh yes, I love to cook. I like to cook different cuisines.

Do you have personal secret recipes or menus?

We have many secret recipes here at Haus, such as our signature dish here, Mentaiko spaghetti. Mentaiko means Palla eggs. It’s from not pacific but the Alaska sea. I helped invent this recipe. We use many ingredients to give it good flavor, such as garlic, onions and jalapenos. We also use butter to reduce the smell of fish. Also, we have wonderful sauce. Sauces are very important for any dish.

Since Haus was opened, is there one most memorable customer to you?

Yes, there’s a customer called Troy. He comes in almost everyday, and he brings different people with him.

Also, the very famous American actor Micky Rourke used to come here regularly. You can see the picture over there. I didn’t even know it because I was in Hawaii. People recognized him, so that I could know. He was very nice and polite. He said he liked here because we had good coffee and good food, which was better than Starbucks.

How would you rate Starbucks and Tom & Tom’s?

There are so many people who don’t know about coffee, but they open coffee shops. It’s true here, and also true in other places, like China. We call Starbucks a “specialty” in coffee, because it is “junk coffee”. And we call Tom &Tom’s “the fake Starbuck’s coffee”. So, you see?

What is your favorite restaurant in LA besides Haus by Coffee Hunter?

I used to go to Urth Cafe a lot, but they are always very busy. I want to make Haus cafe as a small version of Urth cafe. Urth cafe is very famous among Korean young generation. Despite their good coffee and good food, I appreciate the concept of Urth Cafe the most. The owner started Urth cafe for a totally different concept. He traveled to Africa, and got shocked by the coffee-farming scene there. Children are employed very cheaply to pick up coffee plants. Then he realized that these coffee beans that he has been dealing with everyday are actually from those cheap labors, from those kids in Africa. Now, He came back and has been educating people about this. He sells coffee for a fair price and pays back to the coffee farmers in Africa at a better price. He is very different from other businessman.

How about Korean restaurants?

Chosong galbi. I also like Korean style Chinese food, like ja jamg mian.

I see that you talked a lot about Urth Cafe’s social enterprise model. Could I assume that one of your long-term goal for Haus is to give back to the society?

Yes, I want to make haus a small Urth cafe in Ktown. I use fair trade price in Haus for every product. I do not admire the owner of Urth Cafe, but I appreciate their concept. I was a farmer myself, so I know the difficulties of farmers.

If you could pick anyone, even fictional or historical, to dine with, who would you pick and why?

The owner of Starbucks. Stop making this kind of coffee, dude. He’s telling people the wrong concept of coffee.

What are some of your hobbies besides running Haus by Coffee Hunter?

I like to go to different cafes and restaurants and to give lectures about coffee. I used to teach about coffee in a university in Korea. There is also a coffee class here at LA, teaching about different coffee restaurants and their updated menus.

Are you thinking of opening Haus in China?

Yes. We have been contacting with a Chinese potential partner recently. We want to do a franchise for around 100 stores.

Do you have a place for the first shop in mind?

Probably Shanghai. But besides that, we might open a café in SGV soon. It took us 6 months to communicate with a Chinese business partner there. Franchise is very difficult in the US. There are always too many regulations and paperwork.