We Made A Book!
We are thrilled to announce that 환절기, our illustrated cookbook, is available for all to enjoy!
E-books have been sent to our 80+ amazing Kickstarter supports, along with their campaign-exclusive bonus materials.
The e-book is now available for all to purchase here.
Seeing the completed book brings tears to our eyes. Not just because it is exactly what we hoped for when we started this project, but also because it is the embodiment of our community’s generosity and enthusiasm. From our friend Sarah Kusz who offered her professional photography skills to capture our favorite recipes; and Sophie Carrillo in Querétaro, Mexico who formatted the book and gave shape to our words; and of course, to Youyeon Lee in Seoul who brought 환절기 to life with her illustrations.
Of course, there are many more people who contributed along the way. Thank you to the friends and family who asked how the book was coming along when we saw each other. Thank you for sharing our excitement about this very personal and grand undertaking. Thank you for believing in our vision.
We hope you enjoy the stories, the recipes, and the illustrations. 밥 먹자!
Illustration by Youyeon Lee
How This Book Began
From 2022 to 2023, we took advantage of a brief window of time where we could leave the U.S. and do whatever we wanted. So, we decided to move to Seoul, South Korea, where we visited every corner of the country to learn more about ingredients and regional gastronomy, and to meet the people who conserve and share culinary traditions.
We knew we would return to the U.S. and we wanted to document some of our favorite memories from our travels. In a remarkable “small world” way, we met Seoul-based illustrator, Youyeon Lee, who happens to knows our friends in Seattle from growing up together in Paraguay! Youyeon planted the idea of making a cookbook based on our travels. We yes and-ed her idea and asked if she would illustrate it for us.
The process of making 환절기 started in mid 2023, and there was no shortage of frustrations, tears, and life events that we navigated while writing it. But over the course of three years and with the support of our Kickstarter backers, we now have a document that perfectly commemorates this time of our lives.
Think of 환절기 as a journal punctuated with recipes. The recipes are meant to transport us back to our favorite bites and places. We include recipes for dishes like 녹차묵사발 (Boseong Green Tea-Mung Bean Jelly in Dongchimi Broth), 닭갈비 (Chuncheon-Style Stir-Fried Chicken), 해물 라면 (Jeju Seafood Ramyeon), and 안동 사과 식혜 (Andong Apple Rice Punch).
Full disclosure: 환절기 is not strictly a Korean cookbook. We also share recipes that narrate meaningful or suprising moments in our travels, like Tunisian-Style Coffee made by the chef/owner of the only Tunisian restaurant in South Korea; and an easy-to-love Piadino sandwich from an Italian street food restaurant when we craved “foreign food” and a chilled Aperol spritz.
Photo by Sarah Kusz
Where We Go From Here
Our Kickstarter campaign mission was to make 환절기 available online as an e-book. Check! We will also print and distribute a limited number of cookbooks for Kickstarter supporters at the $60 tier and above, in lieu of additional digital downloads.
All digital book sales will go directly towards funding a limited print run. We hope to have printed copies of 환절기 available for purchase in 2026.
Pie-in-the-sky manifestations: we would love to do a mini tour to celebrate this community effort. Definitely in Seattle, and potentially in LA, New York, and Seoul!
For more 환절기 updates, bookmark this website and follow Gino and Mike on IG.
Who We Are
Mike Kim and Gino Garcia are two Seattle-based and food-obsessed 남편. Mike is a lawyer-turned-high-school-English-teacher who also makes PNW-crafted and aged gochujang using his family’s traditional recipe. Gino is a chef who teaches cooking classes, throws the occasional pop-up, and authored the official cookbook for Disney Pixar’s Coco. After canceling their April 2020 South America honeymoon for obvious reasons, they transformed it into an extended South Korea sabbatical.
Youyeon Lee (@youyeon.art) is focused on creating a career that fills her life with art, travel, and self discovery. She wants to grow old dancing, learning millions of new hobbies, and sharing endless conversations that make her laugh and cry. She is grateful that her book "From Buenos Aires" made its way into Mike and Gino’s hands, which opened the door for a beautiful friendship. She never wants to stop creating, because it is what brings her closer to making sense of this world.
Illustration by Youyeon Lee