Kōjin
Momofuku Toronto's third floor concept, Kōjin, is a high-end restaurant with a focus on the hearth. Kōjin in Japanese translates to "God of Fire" and this is what our Chefs wanted to convey through every menu item touched by this beautiful and wild element, adding a layer of complexity and richness in every bite.
At Momofuku Toronto, I'm responsible for media planning, content creation, public relations, experiential marketing, and strategic partnerships. I act as an in-house advertising agency for my team. As well, I also project manage all holiday events with a strategic marketing plan, year-round.
On my second week on the job, shortly after the Toronto Raptors won the NBA Championship, I acted quickly to a request that prioritized Kōjin at the forefront of a new show, Beyond the Arc, featuring former players Danny Green and Serge Ibaka. The result gave us exposure to sports fans from Toronto or those who may not have known a third floor restaurant existed at 190 University Avenue.
With virtually no experience in food photography, I beat 150 applicants for the Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator role in July 2019. I did this by showcasing my eye for making food look delicious, and daring to play harder to get as many shots as possible to accomplish this. I also knew how to sell an idea coming from years of experience as an Event Manager, often acting as an entrepreneur within the umbrella of the businesses I worked for.
I told my story of never really having tasted food outside my own culture as a result of being super sheltered, even though Toronto was in my backyard for years. This is what connected me to Dave Chang, his story, and the Momofuku brand at-large. My differentiators: I tried harder than my counterparts and I have an understanding of turning creativity into profit.
Kōjin's chef changed from Chef Paula Navarette to Chef Eva Chin within 6 months of my hiring. A full strategy and PR event was ready to go to market, but then our world changed because of COVID-19.
So we introduced Chef Eva Chin digitally, through Momofuku's iconic Peachy Keen magazine. We used our own company's digital storytelling platform to editorialize her story and do something unconventional as compared to a press release. The result was overwhelming, and increased our traffic on take out and delivery apps.
It also helped clear up the confusion between the two chefs whose cultural backgrounds were totally different, and informed their cuisines distinctly. To read the full article, visit this page.
It also helped clear up the confusion between the two chefs whose cultural backgrounds were totally different, and informed their cuisines distinctly. To read the full article, visit this page.
When we pivoted from in person dining to take-out, the photography also had to change to adjust to the times. Mainly, I figured out how to make food packaged up and ready to reheat still look palatable for customers.
Quickly, we switched gears from a strong Hawaiian focus to Chef Eva's Chinese and Singaporean heritage. This pivot resulted in stronger interest due to Toronto's large and diverse Chinese population. We also did our first ever collaboration with k.Dinners by Chef Ken Yau. This was before #AAPI issues were trending and prioritized on social media.
I designed the inserts that would go into each take-out container. The Chef and I also collaborated on thinking of how we can support the #AAPI community at large. So, there was a donation to Yee Fong Foundation - an eldercare facility in Scarborough, where Kōjin donated food.
Earlier in the year we did something similar with Chef Anna Chen of Alma. Check out this article in the Toronto Star that came out as a result of that initiative.
