About

Owner Olivia met her husband, Philip in 2015. She wanted to make a good impression on his parents, and made and brought kimchi upon their first meeting. Philip’s father, Chae Rin, was impressed but had one suggestion to make the kimchi better - “Needs more salt,” he said with an amused smile.

Encouraged by Chae Rin, Olivia would regularly make kimchi for all of the Kim family, and over time she refined this beloved Korean banchan.

After Chae Rin's passing in 2023, Olivia and Philip decided to start Chae. They wanted to share the kimchi Chae Rin loved with others in the Richmond, Virginia community.

Chae Rin, our namesake, came to the United States from Seoul, Korea in 1980 to be able to provide a better life for his family. He lived in Guam, New York City, Virginia Beach, before finally living out his last years in Richmond, VA in the same neighborhood with his two sons and their families. He had incredible drive, quick witty humor, and musical hands that loved to play his favorite song on the guitar, "All I Have To Do is Dream" by the Everly Brothers.