Mister Tiger | Our Story
It started with 큰손 (keun-son)
There is a Korean expression, 큰손 (keun-son). Literally, it means “big hands.” But when it comes to food, it describes someone who always makes more than enough.
Min’s mother has always been 큰손 (keun-son).
Growing up, Min learned that you didn’t cook only for the people you expected at the table. You made enough to share with relatives and neighbors, send someone home with leftovers, and still have a little more just in case.
For Min, generosity and food were always connected.
"Make plenty. And share it."
Min carried it with her
When Min moved out on her own in her twenties, the tradition continued.
She regularly invited Korean international college students into her home for meals. Many were thousands of miles from their families, and what they missed wasn’t necessarily Korean restaurant food. They missed home cooking—the food their parents made.
So Min cooked the food she grew up eating, invited everyone over, and made sure there was plenty.
It wasn’t a business. She just liked feeding people.
Eventually, the table got bigger
As Min became more involved with Korean churches and community gatherings, she started cooking for increasingly larger groups.
Church lunches, events and celebrations became her unofficial introduction to catering. Along the way, she learned how to take the Korean food she made at home and prepare it consistently for a crowd.
There wasn’t a catering company yet. There was, however, a growing collection of commercial catering equipment taking over the storage space in our home.
Her husband, Brian, was, of course, very supportive.
Then came Mister Tiger
Years later, that same cooking became part of the foundation for Mister Tiger.
When the restaurant was opened in Chicago, Min took the Korean home cooking she knew and refined it for a restaurant environment.
The goal wasn’t to reinvent Korean food. It was to preserve the flavors and comfort of the food we grew up with, while giving it the care, quality and presentation you’d expect on a Friday night out with friends or a date night.
That's still what they do at Mister Tiger today.
Now Mister Tiger is bringing it to you.
As Mister Tiger has grown, the restaurant has had the opportunity to bring Min's food beyond its dining room.
Mister Tiger Catering is an extension of what it's being done at the restaurant—bringing the same food, care and standards to offices, meetings, company lunches, celebrations and events throughout Chicago.
And while the scale has changed quite a bit, the idea behind the food really hasn’t.
It’s rooted in the cooking passed from Min’s grandparents and parents to her, shaped by years of feeding friends and community, and refined through Mister Tiger.
Now we’re excited to bring it to your office and your team.
Thanks for taking the time to learn our story
We hope we get to cook for your team soon.
Our catering creed
Make plenty. Make it well.
And make sure everyone eats.
