Maryland Newsline

Restaurant Inspires Decades of Loyalty Through Good Food, Community Involvement

By Karen Carmichael
Maryland Newsline
Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2010



TAKOMA PARK, Md. - Takoma Park resident Rob Schware has been taking his family to eat at Mark's Kitchen since it opened in 1990. They don't bother coming on a Sunday morning, however: "The line to get in for brunch is just too long," Schware said.

 

A fixture in the community for 20 years, Mark's Kitchen has drawn raves for its creative blend of Korean and American food and its owner's efforts at community involvement.

 

"It's probably the best place in town to meet people, if you don't mind the decibel level," Manager Hal Shay said.

 

Restaurant owner Mark Choe, who emigrated from South Korea to the U.S. in 1985, credits his success to the high quality of both his food and his service.

 

"Whatever they ask me, I cannot say no," Choe, 54, said of his customers. He said his style of cooking is "more than business; we cook for my family."

 

The restaurant's eclectic menu spans dishes from bibimbap to pancakes. "This restaurant is quirky, to say the least," said Shay, 77.

 

"It's this really unusual combination of healthy food, [like] tofu, and things like just incredibly good milkshakes."

 

Rick Praeger stopped in to get one of those milkshakes, a chocolate malt, during his afternoon run through the neighborhood. Praeger moved to the D.C. side of Takoma Park in April and quickly discovered Mark's Kitchen.

 

"I probably eat breakfast here once a week," he said, typically ordering Mark's Special: "Two eggs, meat, bread and potatoes."

 

In addition to its traditional American fare, the restaurant is famous for its vegetarian and vegan options. Residents of Takoma Park are health-conscious, Choe said, and most Korean dishes are vegetable-based.

 

"It's a good match," said Choe, who was born in Seoul.

 

The restaurant's cozy size, tucked into a small storefront on Carroll Avenue in this town of about 17,000, encourages a comfortable atmosphere.

 

"It's so Zen here," said Mary McConnell, 22, a student at Catholic University. "Whenever I come here, it's sort of like an unwinding for me."

 

Mark's Kitchen gets most of its business through word of mouth, Shay said, a fact borne out by the customers who drifted in during a sunny Thursday afternoon.

 

McConnell brought her friends Matthew Wojtal and Michael Gallo with her for their first visit to the restaurant. "I've just heard good things about it, and I wanted to try it out," Wojtal, 23, said. He and Gallo, 22, agreed that they would return.

 

"I want to try other stuff on their menu," said Wojtal, who loved his tofu club.

 

Adam Gross and Nick Reed, of Hayward, Wisc., traveled to D.C. to attend Jon Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity on Oct. 30. Gross asked his brother, a University of Maryland student, for a good place to eat in the area.

 

"Go to Mark's Kitchen," his brother said.

 

"And we were not disappointed," Gross said, polishing off his black bean burger.

 

Locals, meanwhile, keep coming back for more.

 

Albert Elkins, a Takoma Park resident for 33 years, has been eating at Mark's ever since the restaurant opened two decades ago.

 

"I definitely think that downtown Takoma wouldn't be the same without Mark's Kitchen as sort of an anchor," Elkins said.

 

Except for in 2009, in the midst of the recession, the restaurant's profits have grown every year since it opened, Choe said.

 

His customers' loyalty has spurred Choe to give back to the community. On the third Tuesday of every month, the restaurant hosts a benefit program for different nonprofits that are either Takoma Park-based or have a distinct relevance to Takoma Park, Shay said. He compared the restaurant's efforts to the Takoma Foundation, a nonprofit that has provided grants to local organizations and sports teams.

 

"This little restaurant is sort of a mini-Takoma Foundation in its contributions to nonprofits," Shay said.

 

Choe donates about $8,000 each year to groups such as Historic Takoma, Takoma Park JazzFest, and Rolling Terrace Elementary School, he said.

 

Choe, who came to the United States when he was 28, now lives in Chevy Chase with his wife, Helen, and 9-year-old son, Peter.

 

He dreamed of opening his own business in America, but he didn't speak a word of English when he arrived. "Everything was very strange for me," Choe said. "I couldn't say anything, even hello and thank you."

 

He attended night school in Washington to learn English, where he became close friends with his teacher, Shay.

 

"We hit it off right from the start," Shay said. "Even though his English was very limited, he understood my sense of humor."

 

When Shay retired from the Department of Education, Choe asked him to help out with his new restaurant.

 

"I thought I would for a short time," Shay said. "And it's been going on for 20 years."