Edible Toronto

A Kimchi Story

• Photo by Britney Townsend

  Mi Sook and Rita season the Napa cabbage used for P.A.T. Central Market’s kimchi. The cabbage, which is almost always salted on a Wednesday at the store, sits for a day before gochugaru — Korean chili powder — is rubbed into the leaves and the product packed into jars for sale.

• Anne trims the salted cabbage before it is seasoned and made into kimchi.

• The kimchi is mixed by hand before being packed into jars.

• PAT will go through a minimum of 20 cases of Napa cabbage a week.

• A customer looks at one of the many options of kimchi.

• P.A.T. Central Market, now managed by Edward Lee (above) had humble beginnings as a corner store on Palmerston Avenue before moving to its much larger location on Bloor Street in Koreatown.

• Finished kimchi ready for sale.