About Hyejin's Cooking

Hyejin's Story

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Hi, my name is Hyejin (혜진, pronounce like "hay-jin") Dykstra and I am from South Korea. My husband (Andrew) and I live in Friesland, WI, with our 4 kids – Joanna, Simon, Matthias and Joseph. I have been teaching computer science at Central Wisconsin Christian School since 2017.

I came to the United States in 2009 to study at the University of Maryland. My goal was to finish the degree as soon as possible and return to my family in Korea. However, God's plan was different. In 2012 I met and married my American husband, Andrew, and we moved to his hometown Friesland in 2015.

When I came to America, I learned that many people were unfamiliar with Korean food. Some complained about the smells of Korean dishes like Kimchi, garlic, and seafood. I heard a story about people calling the police on their Korean neighbors because of the smell of their food. Another of churches banning Korean meals inside the church building.

However, as I made American friends, I began to introduce them to Korean food and was pleasantly surprised to find that they not only liked it but loved it!

In the summer of 2017, I sold Korean lunches at the 'Little Lunch Stand' in Friesland, and it was a big hit! Witnessing how much people enjoyed Korean cuisine was truly heartwarming. Since then, whenever I invited people or brought food to gatherings, I always made sure to include Korean dishes, which people now expect from me.

I am thrilled to officially start selling my Korean meals as a business during weekends or summer, alongside my teaching job at CWC. I hope that you, too, will fall in love with Korean food!

Thank you so much!