Pickled vegetables served at the Ambassador’s table
The traditional Korean restaurant run by Director Lee Jeong-eun’s mother
Traveled all the way to Suncheon to taste and select them
“I want even a small gift to come from the heart”
“If these are people my daughter holds dear, I should prepare this food with the same care I would use for my own family.”
Daewon Restaurant in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province, has been serving traditional Namdo-style set meals for over 60 years and is considered a mecca for food lovers. The pickles, made with love by Lee Jeong-eun—the mother of the director of Minish Dental Hospital, who runs the restaurant—made their way onto the tables of Minish Ambassadors.
This isn’t just any ordinary gift you order online and have delivered. It’s a special gift that Director Lee Jeong-eun and Han Eun-jin, Head of the Customer Support Division, personally selected after driving 700 km round-trip to Suncheon to taste it themselves and bring it back with great care.
It all began last June during a meeting where we were brainstorming ideas for seasonal gifts. Director Lee Jeong-eun, who was on medical leave and had visited the hospital, suggested, “The pickles from the restaurant my mother runs would make a great gift.” This idea happened to align perfectly with our goal of giving a thoughtful gift, so we put it into action right away.
It sounded easy, but in reality, it was a grueling journey. The two traveled down to Suncheon on a day trip and personally tasted each of the various pickles at Daewon Restaurant one by one to select the items. Time had left its mark on her mother’s hands. She explained that most of the pickles are aged for at least three years and are carefully prepared using a labor-intensive method that involves boiling the soy sauce multiple times.
“I learned for the first time that day that there’s a specific type of garlic used for pickled garlic,” said Han Eun-jin, the division head. “I was amazed by the care they put into it—aging the garlic with the skin on and then peeling each clove by hand just before serving it to guests.” The two personally selected four types of pickles on-site: garlic, green plum, perilla leaf, and angelica leaf pickles. These were the varieties that, after a long fermentation process, tasted the most delicious and unique. To further enhance the gift, they also included cards suggesting which dishes each pickle pairs best with. A video documenting the process of sourcing the pickles was also included.
The response was enthusiastic. Comments poured in, such as, “I really enjoyed these precious and meaningful pickles, and I’ll do my best to promote Minish even more from now on,” “This will really whet my appetite on a hot summer day,” and “It reminds me of home—I’ll enjoy them with gratitude.”
Head Han Eun-jin said, “Even with a small gift, we want to provide our customers with an unforgettable experience and touch their hearts,” adding, “We will steadily build upon Minish’s unique brand story.”
