PORTLAND, Ore. — Chef Peter Cho has a fierce passion for Korean food, his family, and spending time in his zen-like restaurants Han Oak and Jeju. Recently, he decided to close down Toki, a restaurant he ran in downtown Portland since 2021.
"I feel like a lot of people talk about the issues downtown," said Cho, "but we weren't affected where we were. It was just time to consolidate."
Cho was born in Korea and raised in Oregon, spending a decade after college perfecting his craft in New York City.
"I learned how to cook those dishes that I knew very well flavor-wise," said Cho. "But didn't know how to cook it professionally."
With an aim to teach people about Korean cuisine in a subtle way, Cho said the type of food they were creating wasn't as familiar with people, so there was a bit of an education process with guests.
"But nobody wants to be told what to do and how to eat when they come to a restaurant — they just want to enjoy their time," Cho said.
Each of his restaurants exposes guests to not only foods they may haven't tried before but also to an unexpected relaxing green space in the city.
"We're in the back of this hidden garage, and then, this beautiful oasis opens up," said Cho. "There's this cool sense of discovery that our guests have."
Han Oak isn't just a safe space for guests but a home to Cho, where he's raising his two boys, Frank and Elliot. He said his menu is a carbon copy of comfort foods his family enjoys.
"It's stuff that is very sort of personal to me and more autobiographical," he added.
In this new chapter of his life, he's worried less about expansion, but more slightly reinventing the image of Han Oak from super posh to more welcoming.
"At night, the disco lights come on," said Cho. "The fog machine comes up, and then we do karaoke in the middle of the dining room. This little bit of surprise and delight is always fun on a night out. "
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