In the Beginning...
When I first tasted kimchi at an Asian Winnipeg restaurant 30 years ago, I was absolutely blown away by the explosion of flavours and sense of digestive "well being" that followed the meal I had consumed. I had no idea what kimchi was at that time or any of the health benefits that this amazing fermented superfood is so famous for. The flavour and health benefits inspired me to create my own Kimchi as it was hard to find in Manitoba and after many attempts Cooks Creek Kimchi was born.
We started selling our Kimchi at the St. Norbert’s Farmers market back in 2017. Not only was it a new Manitoba Health approved food item but I was the first person authorized by Manitoba Health to locally produce and sell kimchi at a farmer’s market level. The next year, a "kimchi" category made it into the Manitoba Health guidelines book for the first time. Kimchi may have been new to the Manitoba market, but it is an incredibly old food product. It is regarded as Korea's national dish and its history goes back a couple of thousand years. It is regarded as one of the world's top ten superfoods and is incredibly rich in prebiotics and probiotics if the right ingredients are used and it is fermented properly; That is the key! Top-quality, time-honoured ingredients, properly fermented. I have not strayed from that process or the ingredients to this day and I will not in the future. I was only making the traditional kimchi back in 2017; Gluten-free, shellfish-free 100% natural kimchi made from top-shelf ingredients, fermented properly to ensure not only amazing flavour but maximum probiotic benefit. Manitobans were loving it because of the sour fermented flavour like sauerkraut but it offered so much more depth of flavour and prebiotic content. In the summer of 2017, I partnered up with my son Viktor who was just finishing college in the computer field. By the end of 2017, we were a well-known name across Winnipeg; Cooks Creek Kimchi was on the move! We then proceeded to work toward taking our kimchi to the next level, that being the retail market so on March 22nd, 2018 we made our first retail sale. Like the farmer’s markets, before we knew it, we were at 50+ retail stores across Winnipeg and Manitoba. That same year we launched CCK Vegan Kimchi. We followed on the success of the Vegan Kimchi with the first White Kimchi in the province that contains no red pepper powder. Real living food for real living people. That is our motto and our commitment to you; You will not find MSG, colourings or any substandard ingredients in our product and it comes to you fully fermented & probiotic-rich. That is why our jars need to be refrigerated and have continuous thread one-piece lids because of the living fermentation inside! We can’t wait to serve you! Rob & Viktor Marusyk **We are an ever-evolving company, especially with the challenges of Covid-19. Find our product at retail stores throughout Manitoba and online from us or at St. Norbert market. |