Today we’d like to introduce you to Jiwoo Choi.
Hi Jiwoo, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Greetings.
My name is Jiwoo J. Choi, 23 years old.
I immigrated straight to San Diego from South Korea in 2007, where I fell in love with the San Diego culture and the American Dream.
I do have a classic, tough, hardworking immigrant family story.
My parents, with only a high school degree in a country, where a college degree has a crucial role in providing financial success, soon developed a determination that they want their son to live a different, flourishing life than the always struggling life they were living.
Thus, the reason why we made the bold decision to move to America.
Adapting to a new country was not easy. Our family did not speak English nor have a special skillset to provide for us. But my parents were insistent on that I were to get a top education in a “wealthy” neighborhood, meaning the rent was very expensive.
They both worked whatever they could, (serving, bussing, cooking in restaurants, assistants in offices…) for extreme, long hours, and I was somewhat “trusted” to take care of myself from a very young age.
However, obstacles didn’t stop there.
My father went through two major surgeries.. and we very much underestimated the hospital bills of America. 🙂
This put all to pressure to provide for our family on my mother.
And also me.
There was a point in time, where I worked three jobs, two at a restaurant, and one as a receptionist at a family dentist, while maintaining a good schooling grade in high school.
My parents suffering to extreme amounts, just to provide me a different lifestyle.. I was very much indebted to them. I became very eager to “make it” and turn our family’s lifestyle around.
I always had an artistic edge, and I used this to have my first dip into the business world, designing t-shirts and selling it to my high school peers. Later, this passion developing into me designing more detailed, articulated and personalized outfits and dresses.
I was determined to make it somehow.
Due to the nature of the fashion industry needing a lot of capital for success, I decided to take a detour and head into the restaurant industry, with two goals in mind – retire my parents & generate funding for the restaurant.
Always being involved in our family cooking, working at restaurants, developed a passion for me in hospitality very easily. The “rush” and “hectic-ness” always put energy in me.
I also found out that restaurants were closely tied to fashion, as fashion is about creating a beautiful piece where the client feels sexy, beautiful, confident and happy in, similar to a restaurant, where the beautiful interior, classic ambiance, delectable food, and chic music puts a smile on the clients’ faces.
Business is all about putting a smile on clients’ face.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Nope not at all.
With all the painful years of waiting to open the restaurant, I always thought I would have a very happy, tearful night, after the last customer left on the first day, but every night until this point has been filled with, “Oh, what could we have done better today.” I still have not had the chance to “take in” everything yet.
