Conversations with Rachel Park

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Park.

Hi Rachel, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Hello, my name is Rachel from The Curative Plate.

I have Celiac Disease (an autoimmune disease) and other chronic illnesses that affect my health. I had to give up on foods I loved and change my relationship with food and ingredients. I have been battling endometriosis since age 10 with many false diagnoses causing a delay in my actual diagnosis. (Endometriosis is a reproductive disease that affects 1 in 10 women or those born with female reproductive organs. It is estimated that over 200 million individuals have endometriosis with an average of ten years to diagnose with no known cause or cure.) I was fortunate enough to have found a compassionate doctor, who took the time to listen and diagnose me properly.

After multiple surgeries and the support of the endometriosis community, I was able to overcome a lot of dark days due to the pain and daily life of living with chronic illnesses with no cures. Through my struggles with endometriosis and celiac disease, I learned to eat for my body and did extensive research on food triggers. I shared my journey on Instagram where I was inspired and encouraged to share recipes and start a business. As a child, I had a dream of becoming a chef and felt defeated with the dietary changes. Early on I had to “battle the blues” not knowing the issues with my gut was one of the reasons causing me to be depressed. Through the years I’ve had a variety of health changes and upsets but gained so much knowledge and the joy of creating, cooking, and eating again.

Growing up in the suburbs of Philly, I was exposed to many ethnically diverse food cultures outside of my own. By going to my friend’s homes, I got to watch their families cook and eat so many kinds of foods, my dream of becoming a chef was born. I’m not a doctor, I’m not a nutritionist, and I’m not a professional chef. Who I am is a person that was searching to cure my mind, body, and spirit with each plate of food I eat. I worked 20+ years within the autism community, specifically with children as a behaviorist, and I always stressed the importance of the Autism Diet, as food affected their mood and behavior greatly. This led me to look deeply into my own food intake, and how it affected me, and this in turn led to my celiac diagnosis.

The Curative Plate came about because I was chasing that familiar taste of my grandmother’s home cooking that I could no longer eat because of my food restrictions. I spent countless hours in the kitchen experimenting and testing recipes and came up with the perfect mix of my grandmother’s traditional techniques and my mother’s modern street food flavors to fit my dietary needs. During this new business adventure, I learned more about both my maternal and paternal grandmothers. I always knew they both made amazing food but I learned that both my grandmothers were street market food vendors in South Korea. My maternal grandmother made and sold gukbap which translates as broth rice. It was always a hot soup with rice in a stone pot. My paternal grandmother made and sold baekban which literally translates as “white rice”. It is what is known as Korean homestyle food. A bowl of white rice, side of soup and a few side dishes. They sold in front of military bases to soldiers. They both worked to feed and shelter their families and grew their businesses to the point that both of them were able to open a corner store in their neighborhoods. They did not know each other at that time but had a similar story. Hearing about the hard work and love they put into their food business fills me with so much pride and I feel closer to both of them. I unknowingly am following in their footsteps and like to think that they are guiding me from the beyond and want to make them proud. My paternal grandmother helped raise me and I am forever grateful to have had the privilege to watch her cook and learn from her.

With The Curative Plate, we want to help people fill their plates with better options of foods that help, not hurt. We’ve been developing food products for those who have dietary restrictions and gut issues. A small start-up business formed to bring the products you need so you can grab and go without thinking if it fits into “my diet.” I say we because it is a team effort. I have my mother in the kitchen with me as my official taste tester and so much more. My friend Vicky who helped me by creating my logo design, label & packaging design and website. You’ll periodically see both my mother and Vicky with me at markets too. Currently, we offer Vegan and Low FODMAP (ish) kimchis. Low FODMAP diet is for people who have digestive disorders such as sibo and ibs. I decided to sell kimchi first because it was something I could not eat for years due to my digestive issues. I spent three years perfecting two different recipes to honor my grandmother who first taught me how to make kimchi.

Our motto is, “From Our Hearts and Our Hands to Your Plates” because everything is made from the heart with our hands so that you can enjoy it on your plate.

I love to share products and services on a main IG page separate from the kimchi/products page. I want to grow as a strong local business and support others in the community.

We can be found in pop-up markets and soon to be in specialty and small markets.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
This whole process as I continue along has been full of ups, downs, fun opportunities and setbacks. Not having a business background, I had and continue to have a lot to learn in this CPG (consumer packaged goods) industry but try to take every learning experience as a step forward even if it caused setbacks.

Setbacks are a part of everyone’s life at some point and it’s all about how I deal with them. I’ve learned to feel what I need to in the moment and let myself feel disappointed and then move on and not to get discouraged.

Living with chronic illnesses and running a business can get tricky. I have to constantly remind myself to find time for self-care and downtime or my body will let me know and force me with a flare-up and I’m rendered useless for days. Luckily I have an amazing support system of family and friends who help out and also remind me to be kind to myself since I’m always trying to push on just a little more.

The biggest hurdle though is self-doubt. That tiny voice in the back of my mind always asking if I’m making the right choice.

But again, I use that to fuel me and prove to the tiny voice that I can do it.

With the obstacles, I have also had the opportunity to meet a wonderful network of people ranging from customers, mentors, vendors, other brands and business owners, etc. I have met some amazing local small business owners who truly love the community and want to help and share what they have learned along the way too. I’m humbled and inspired by their passion and willingness to help others which aligns with the community that I want to build too.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have always been someone who will not work without having a passion for what I do. Not every day will be easy but I still need to love what I do. Since I was nineteen, I worked with children on the Autism Spectrum Disorder and other disabilities. I worked as a behavioral therapist, mentor, advocate and life skills manager for almost twenty years. I still keep in touch with clients as they became family to me. One thing I did during those years was to cook for my picky eaters with their autism diets. I had my own restrictive diet so it wasn’t difficult for me to understand how they felt about food and their food choices. As a lot of my clients became teenagers and almost adults they would always tell me to start some kind of food business, that I should share with others what I have shared with them.

When my endometriosis and adenomyosis became too difficult to treat I decided I needed to change my career. I turned to my chronic illness community for support. I shared recipes and stories with this community and again, I was encouraged to do something with these recipes. I thought long and hard about what it is that I can do to help the communities that have helped me. Starting a food brand is the small thing I can do. I want to be able to bring products with a lot of thought, love, and care. I want my grandmothers, family, past clients and the chronic illness community to be proud of me. One of my goals is to give back to those who helped me grow as a person and who have always given me support, love and encouragement. I pledge a portion of net sales of kimchi products to Endometriosis Foundation of America for research and spreading awareness. https://www.endofound.org/

I plan to have other products in the future and will donate portions of those products to autism awareness and research. I’m still in the very beginning phases but have so much hope and trust in this little food brand.

Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Being able to speak and communicate with people who tell me that not only do they love the taste of my product but also that it has been helping them in many ways and that it fits into their needs. It’s the reason I started the company and it’s coming back full circle. The days I have self-doubt and setbacks, those conversations and connections to people’s stories, they give me the spark I need to continue and make it all worth it.

Even people who do not eat kimchi that stop by my booth at pop-up markets and are willing to try samples, ask questions, share in our stories, those interactions are priceless to me. Just recently I was on the phone with someone from the state comptroller’s office helping me out with some forms and we started talking about kimchi and she had some fond memories she shared with me of her time in Korea and a neighborhood of ladies who tried to teach her how to make it back in the ’80s. She does not eat kimchi ( lol ) but wants to try again for the health benefits.

The connections to people and the community is what truly make me happy these days and I hope to always have them.

Oh and dogs, dogs will always make me happy.

Pricing:

• Vegan Kimchi $10.50 for locals
• Low FODMAP (ish) Kimchi $10.50 for locals

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thecurativeplate.com
• Instagram: @thecurativeplate and @thecurativeplatekimchi
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecurativeplate/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA2L6DBVrR1TK1R1oHM3QhA or just look up The Curative Plate