Globe-trotting chef brings Korean food with focus on fresh ingredients to Nixa's food hall
Chef Leo Kim is well-traveled. He was born in Korea and grew up in Argentina. In his 20 years in the restaurant business, he's helped establish restaurants in Los Angeles, California; Kauai, Hawaii; El Paso, Texas; Fort Wayne, Indiana and West Virginia, as well as in Venezuela.
In 2019, though, he decided to settle in Nixa so his three sons — ages 15, 11 and 9 — would have a childhood kind of like his own.
“LA is good, it’s convenient. But for raising kids, it’s not. I wanted my kids to have something different," Kim said. "I grew up in Argentina in a small town and my friends from that time, from my elementary school, they’re still my friends on Facebook. Sometimes they send me messages and stuff."
Kim's desire for his kids to have something better is also what helped inspire his menu for The Gochu Handcrafted Korean BBQ Bowl, which is now open at 14 Mill Market, 203 E. Mt. Vernon St. in Nixa. The Gochu is closed on Mondays, open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
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"When I made this menu, I was thinking about my kids and people I really love and want to serve good food to,” Kim said.
The Gochu uses fresh vegetables, organic eggs and sustainably sourced protein in their dishes, and oatmilk in most of the drinks they offer. Each dish is made fresh to order — nothing sitting under a heat lamp or frozen and reheated. While Kim calls the menu small, it's pretty large: 11 "super bowls" — bowls with veggies, protein and rice — three sandwiches, three salads and five appetizers, not including the kids menu.
All of the bowls include veggies, prepared in a way that Kim says isn't always possible at home.
"I think if you properly cook the veggies and combine the sauce and protein correctly, you can enjoy the vegetables much better. It’s something that sometimes at home, it’s hard to do it," Kim said.
Omnivores need not fear, however: The Gochu offers plenty of meat options as well, such as brisket bulgogi — a Korean method of barbecuing thin, marinated slices of beef — tempura fried chicken and pork belly.
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In developing the menu, Kim aimed to "bring out the best" of each dish and the best taste of Korean flavor, especially in an area where not everyone may know the style of food.
"I notice many people here may not be familiar with bulgogi or bibimbap. There are many that are, but I would say 50/50 or 60/40," Kim said. "I’d say come and try our brisket bulgogi."
Bibimbap, which is available at The Gochu, is a bowl of rice and mixed veggies with the customer's choice of protein (beef, chicken, pork belly or tofu) topped with a fried egg and a garlic soy sauce or a spicy pepper sauce. The menu also has various items with kimchi, a traditional Korean side dish of pickled vegetables.
As for Kim's favorite dish? The pork belly kimchi bowl, “because I like kimchi and with the pork belly, the combination is pretty good.”
Susan Szuch reports on health and food for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @szuchsm. Story idea? Email her at sszuch@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Chef brings Korean flavors with fresh ingredients to Nixa food hall
