Sunhee’s Farm and Kitchen is a unique Korean restaurant in Troy, New York, known for its dedication to farm-to-table cuisine and its powerful social mission.
Here is a detailed look at the restaurant’s distinct character, history, menu highlights, and community involvement.
What Makes Sunhee’s Unique: Social Mission and Farm-to-Table Focus
Sunhee’s Farm and Kitchen is a social entrepreneurship business with a core mission centered on food, community engagement, and immigrant/refugee empowerment.
- Immigrant and Refugee Empowerment: The business works to create a safe space for cultural learning and innovative projects. It partners with local organizations to provide in-house services, including English classes, resume development, and job counseling, recognizing the value and skillsets of diverse immigrant and refugee experiences. Its non-profit arm, Sunhee’s Community Place, established in 2018, furthers this mission by offering educational programming, vocational training, and social services.
- Positive Food Culture (Farm-to-Table): The restaurant promotes healthy living and the “real food” movement by directly connecting with local farmers and food sources, including a family farm in Washington County. This connection allows them to preserve Korean food tradition and utilize authentic methods of food production. Many of the vegetables used are Korean varieties grown on their own 41-acre farm.
- Atmosphere and Ambiance: The restaurant’s interior is often described as a cozy, rustic, and welcoming “urban hideaway,” crafted largely from wood, with an inviting vibe that is hip and casual. It offers outdoor seating, including a back patio designed to evoke a Korean outdoor market. It is a good place for groups, casual dining, and is considered good for children.
History and Background
The restaurant’s story is deeply rooted in the journey of its family founders:
- The Name and the Chefs: The name “Sunhee’s” is a combination of the ends of the Korean names of the two main chefs, Sun Hwa and Chun Hee. The two women, who share over 30 years of cooking experience and 20 years of friendship, first met while preparing a meal together at a local Korean American church in the Capital District.
- The Family Journey: Owner Jinah Kim is a second-generation immigrant who founded the restaurant with the intention of incorporating her family’s farm and her prior experience in refugee resettlement. Her mother, Chun Hee Kim, serves as the head chef, and her father, Amos, manages the farm and acts as a skilled builder and contractor for the restaurant’s renovations. The Kim family immigrated to the United States in 1993, driven by a desire for opportunities for their children.
Highlight Menu Items and Customer Feedback
Customers praise the restaurant for its fresh, clean flavors and authentic Korean cuisine.
Popular Menu Items
- Bibimbap: A signature rice bowl served cold with purple rice and a mix of vegetables including fiddlehead, spinach, carrot, turnip, bean sprouts, and shiitake mushroom, along with cooked egg strips, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. It’s served with a side of gochujang (hot red pepper sauce) to customize the spice level, and customers often recommend adding beef or a sunny-side egg.
- Bulgogi: Thinly sliced beef deep-marinated in a soy-sesame sauce with carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and green onions. It is a highly-rated rice bowl, with one customer commenting that the portioning was generous: “they did not skimp on the meat in my bulgogi bowl.”
- Mandoo (5pc): Pan-fried dumplings filled with beef, pork, vermicelli noodles, tofu, and vegetables. They are celebrated for their crispy, thin exterior and rich flavors.
- Kimchi: The house-made, spicy pickled napa cabbage (House Kimchi) is made from a family recipe and has been described as having a “perfect balance of spiciness and crunch.” It’s so popular it’s available for purchase by the jar.
- Japchae Noodles: Vegan, thin sweet potato noodles with sautéed spinach, onion, carrot, and mushrooms, tossed in a mild, soy-based sauce.
Customer Comments
- Food Quality: “Everything we had was delicious and well portioned; they did not skimp on the meat in my bulgogi bowl.” and “Always high quality and tasty, with very fresh vegetables.”
- Experience: “So many great menu options— perfect place for an intimate meeting with friends or on a date. Great take out spot too as they have accurate pickup times and lovely service.”
- Community: “Sunhee’s is a Troy staple – beyond great food, their community building efforts do not go unnoticed or unappreciated. We love you, Sunhee’s!”
Significant Events and Community Initiatives
Sunhee’s Farm and Kitchen has used its business as a platform for community building and advocacy.
- Expansion and Renovation: Following its opening, the restaurant expanded its space by adding a bar and opening up a back patio, creating an environment that is inclusive of different aspects of Korean culture.
- Non-Profit Founding: The establishment of Sunhee’s Community Place (a 501(c)(3) charitable organization) in 2018 marked a significant step in formalizing and expanding their social services, allowing them to apply for grants and accept donations to fund programs like adult English classes and computer literacy initiatives for refugees.
- Annual Gala: Events like the Sunhee’s Community Place Gala are held to celebrate immigrant stories and highlight five years of success and development since the non-profit’s founding.
- Response to Challenges: During challenging times (such as the pandemic), the restaurant adapted by quickly moving its English classes to a virtual platform, focusing on take-out and online ordering, and hosting creative outdoor events like Korean BBQ and private farm events to diversify revenue streams and keep the business and its mission afloat.
Restaurant Information
- Address: 95-97 Ferry St, Troy, NY 12180
- Phone Number: +1 518-272-3413
- Website: http://sunhees.com/
- Map Link: Sunhee’s Farm and Kitchen on Google Maps
- Instagram: You can visit their gallery page which features Instagram content: Gallery on Sunhee’s Website
- Cuisine: Korean
- Rating: 4.6 (based on Google Maps data)
- Hours of Operation:
- Monday: 11:00 AM-3:00 PM, 4:30-9:00 PM
- Tuesday: Closed
- Wednesday: Closed
- Thursday: 11:00 AM-3:00 PM, 4:30-9:00 PM
- Friday: 11:00 AM-10:00 PM
- Saturday: 11:00 AM-10:00 PM
- Sunday: Closed
