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ABOUT KOKO
Co-owners (from left to right): Nyah Marasigan, Jeek Kim, and Yune Kim
For us, food is a love language.
Here at KOKO Sips + Bites, we truly believe that food is a love language, and it is something that our team hopes to convey to the community that has given so much to us.
Serving Korean-Japanese fusion, our menu is a combination of flavors that we know and love with a modern spin. What we believe makes KOKO so special is our attention to detail, and we take great care in making sure that everyone who walks through our door feels like a guest in our own homes.
KOKO Sips + Bites is co-owned by Jeek Kim, Yune Kim, and Nyah Marasigan. If you had told us years ago that we would be coming together to open up our very own restaurant, we would not have believed it one bit. Though we had all envisioned ourselves walking down different paths, the unique skillsets we acquired on our own would eventually lead our individual paths to cross to create KOKO. We are truly excited to see where this journey will take us, and we hope that you come say hi in the near future!
ABOUT THE TEAM
Nyah Marasigan
Nyah Marasigan is a native of Knoxville and recently graduated from the University of Kentucky where she studied Media Arts, Creative Writing, and Business. From music management, and real estate, to starting her own stationery business, and lemonade stands on her driveway with friends, Nyah has explored business endeavors from many angles. After graduation, she returned to Knoxville to open up KOKO Sips + Bites. Nyah feels that immersing herself in the hospitality business has been extremely valuable because she gets to gather knowledge for future concepts that she wants to bring to life. Nyah loves to read, write poetry, and take photos in her free time. Her favorite thing to cook is soup.
Jeek Kim
Jeek Kim is from Seoul, Korea and moved to the U.S. in 1999. He attended the University of Tennessee and the University of North Florida where he studied music. Working in a restaurant was his way of supporting himself and his family since moving to the States, and he subsequently developed a strong passion for cooking and hospitality. Jeek says his passions have come full circle since he found that his feelings toward creating music and creating food were not all that different. When he's not cooking, he likes to play soccer, spend time with his kids, and try new restaurants. He has worked as a corporate executive chef and director of operations for leading sushi restaurants in Knoxville. In 2014 and 2015, he was given the Best Chef America award.
Yune Kim
Yune Kim was born and raised in Knoxville and is currently completing her final semester at the University of Pennsylvania, where she is studying Design and Consumer Psychology. Having worked with various organizations and clients to make their visions come to life, Yune is passionate about the intersection between business and art. Thus, KOKO Sips + Bites has been an exhilarating opportunity to curate a brand from scratch. Aside from the design aspects, however, she finds working in hospitality incredibly rewarding as she gets to meet so many people from diverse backgrounds. When she's not at KOKO or designing, Yune loves to go to cafés, spend time with her family and friends, and journal.
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