Long Island City, NY
Our goal is to share our passion in Korean cuisine and make each dish more accessible with a dash of our Koso signature twist. We aim to achieve this ambitious goal by utilizing quality ingredients and recipes refined by a seasoned culinary team. Our offerings are catered to the domestic palate while maintaining the core and cultural essence of each dish. Most importantly, we simply plan on delivering “Seoul Food from the Soul.”
John-Paul Lee founded Kosofresh in April 2012. Prior to Kosofresh, John-Paul was CEO of Tavalon Tea, a leading premium tea company, which he co-founded in 2005. Lee built Tavalon Tea into a global brand with offices in New Jersey, Hong Kong, & Seoul, South Korea. Lee has more than ten years experience in the retail food & beverage industry, and five years of corporate experience as a management consultant at Accenture. He resides on the board committee for the Asian American Business Development Center (AABDC). John-Paul is currently an active member of the Entrepreneurial Sound Board Committee for Columbia University’s …
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Nicholas Romano, Chief Strategy Officer
Nick invested in and became a board member in July 2013. Nick is responsible for strategic planning, operational improvement initiatives, financial oversight, and fundraising activities. He is currently operating in a part-time advisory role. Nick is currently a Principal at Audax Group, a Boston-based middle market private equity firm with over $2.5B assets under management. With over 10 years experience leading acquisition, fundraising, and portfolio company management efforts, Nick brings a unique financial and strategic skillset to Kosofresh. Prior to Audax, Nick was an associate and senior associate at The Parthenon Group, a boutique strategy consulting firm in Boston, for …
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Hooni Kim, Managing Chef
Hooni Kim will lead culinary operations as Kosofresh’s managing chef. Mr. Kim is a celebrated chef and owner of two Korean New York City based restaurants, Danji and Hanjan. In its first full year in business, Danji received a coveted star from the Michelin Guide and has been featured in numerous media outlets, such as The New York Times, New York Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, New York Post, and The Village Voice. Prior to opening Danji and Hanjan, Chef Hooni Kim received formal culinary training at two Michelin three-star restaurants, Daniel Boulud’s Daniel and Masayoshi Takayama’s …
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Guggan Datta, Board Member