Tory Miller on 'I Love Food' Day, Sujeo and Korea

I just wanted to give a special thanks to Chef Tory Miller for letting us crowd his restaurant for National I Love Food Day (really, just an excuse to talk about good food!)

We recently spent some time talking about Sujeo's one year anniversary, Korea, food and adoption. Plus, Chef Miller made us his Wisconsin-take on Korean ddeokbokki (duck-bogie.)

Tory and I have both been open about being Korean-born and Midwestern-raised. I think that's one reason he loves spending time at Sujeo. The Asian-fusion spot is kind of like a reflection of his life -- hence, likely another reason I'm drawn to his restaurants.

When Tory and I were chatting, I realized how his adoption story is very much played out in the kitchen. Tory leads in the culinary world by mastering a cuisine and then adapting the dishes to his liking. Whether it's Asian-fusion at Sujeo or Spanish-influenced tapas found in Estrellon, Tory Miller gets to discover who he is through creativity and food. 

When you don't know exactly where you come from, you tend to spend some time trying to figure out who you are. I say this because I live it. I get to discover who I am through journalism and creating content... so I suppose we're all sort of chameleon-like in that way.

It pays off if you're a Tory Miller fan -- we all benefit from his discoveries in the kitchen. (And by that I mean his four kitchens -- L'etoile, Graze, Sujeo and Estrellon.)

Ddeokbokki is a Korean street food. *I actually tried to make it live on the internet once just to show people how easy it was but Tory's version is obviously much better and way less embarrassing. (My husband just laughed out loud...)

The cheese makes it irresistable. Korean people sometimes make ddeokbokki with cheese but Tory says when they do it, they use American cheese. DON'T EVEN. These are the same people who put corn on their pizza and serve it with a side of sweet pickles. 

As you can imagine, Tory uses regional fare like a Chinese-influenced sausage made from Underground Meats and two award-winning Wisconsin artisan cheeses. 

Photojournalist JIm Rader loved ddeokbokki

WATCH Chef Miller make his version of ddeokbokki!