Jilli SF turns makgeolli into Bay Area’s trendiest drink

SAN FRANCISCO — Jeong Hwang-hah, the young owner of Jilli SF, is bringing makgeolli — Korea’s centuries-old rice alcohol — to the heart of the Bay Area, bridging her background in tech with the rising popularity of Korean drinking culture in the United States. After spending years in the tech industry as a user interaction designer for Airbnb and several artificial intelligence (AI) companies, the 28-year-old made a shift to hospitality this year to launch Jilli SF, a San Francisco outpost of the popular Korean-inspired bar in Los Angeles. Her motivation was a deep love for Korean culture and a vision to create a communal space for food, drink and connection in the U.S. “I want Jilli SF to be seen as a Korean modern 'suljib,' but for everyone,” Jeong told The Korea Times. “I hope this place feels like a friend’s home — somewhere you can drop by after work, even alone, and instantly feel at ease. Familiar, yet new.” After years designing interfaces and AI products, Jeong felt everything online was starting to blur together and realized people were yearning for experienWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Korea Times