Korea connection

66 Longleaf Style Winter 2008

{Cuisine}

Korea Connection Roadside eatery offers authentic Korean food in Talladega County

by Loyd McIntosh

photos by Patrick Stokesberry

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othing stirs up hunger like a long drive down a country road or an overlooked highway.

With barbecue pits, catfish houses and hamburger joints dotting the landscape, forgoing the interstate to go off the beaten path can often reward a hungry motorist with a hidden gem. The Longleaf region is no exception.

Even though the choices may not be as numerous as in years past, there are plenty of interesting spots to choose from if you crave a little adventure on your plate. If that describes you then point your car toward Alabama highway 34 in Talladega County and a little spot called Stemley Stir Fry. Opened in March by Troy Wilkerson and his wife Ok Sun Yi, a native of South Korea, Stemley Stir Fry is a sight to behold. Located at 4800 Stemley Road in Talladega County, Stemley Stir Fry is situated at a cross roads connecting the communities of Pell City, Lincoln, Talladega and Alpine. The restaurant resides in a nondescript building with white vinyl siding with bright red roofline and awning in a location where many have tried to launch a business, but few have succeeded.

To counteract the problem, the name of the restaurant is emblazoned in huge, white lettering in an Asian typeface that can’t help but attract attention as motorists zip along this stretch of highway. Still, even with the

curiosity factor firmly in place, Wilkerson admits opening a Korean restaurant in rural Alabama is a bit of a risk.

“When we first opened, there had been quite a few businesses in here. Everybody told us ‘nobody else has made it, but we hope you make it,’” Wilkerson said. “The guy right before us had a pizza place. He stayed here two months. Before him a guy had a catfish place in here. I think the catfish business did pretty good, he stayed here about 3 or 4 years.”

Wilkerson, who also works at the Anniston Army Depot, and his wife can be considered serial entrepreneurs in the Asian food category. Shortly after marrying, the couple opened an Oriental market in Oxford, specializing in Korean food for the hungry worldly soldiers at Fort McClellan.

“When I would got off work I’d go over there she would always have a back roomful of GIs feeding them Korean food,” Wilkerson said about the early days. “I’d say, ‘We don’t have a license for a restaurant, we’re going to get put in jail.’”

Since then, the couple has operated restaurants in Anniston and Fair Hope before Ok moved to Columbus, Georgia, to help her family run a Shogun Japanese Steakhouse while her husband stayed behind to continue his career in security at the Depot.

After seeing each other once a week for 17 years, the couple moved to Lincoln and opened

Winter 2008 Longleaf Style 67

Troy Wilkerson and his wife Ok Sun Yi in front of Stemley Stir Fry their restaurant. Wilkerson says educating people about Korean food has “been the biggest challenge, but most people do like it.”

“We can’t get everybody, but if we get the majority, we’ll be alright. We’ll hang in here for a while and see what happens,” Wikerson said.

“Overall, it’s been positive. A lot of people here are eating Korean food for the first time,” Wilkerson added.

“Sometimes, they come in looking for a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, but we just don’t have that type of food.”

What Stemley Stir Fry does have is traditional Korean food prepared by his wife of 22 years, a military dependent who immigrated to the United States in 1979.

In the tiny restaurant’s kitchen, Ok Sun Yi prepares a variety of Koean specialties, such as yakimondo, a dumpling containing steaming hot ground beef and a shredded vegetable that is deep-fried in sesame oil. Other traditional dishes include bulogee, a dish containing beef, chicken, or pork marinated in a blend of Korean seasonings then stir fried and served over a bed of cabbage and a side of steamed rice.

68 Longleaf Style Winter 2008

If you’re truly hungry and have red meat on your mind, but are in the mood for something different, give the bulgalbi a try. Bulgabi is a Korean specialty prepared from the beef short ribs that have been marinated in soy-based sweet sauce before making their way to the grill. Served with a side of white rice, the ribs are tender, juicy and have an exotic flavor that will transport your taste buds to the other side of the world.

Wilkerson, who had his first taste of Korean cuisine while stationed there with the Army in 1969, says most first-time diners gravitate to more familiar fare on the menu, such as fried rice, sweet and sour shrimp with stir fried vegetables, or Teriyaki chicken, also served with stir fried vegetables. However, to get the full Korean experience, adventurous eaters need look no further than one dish: kimchee.

Kimchee is a fermented vegetable dish with cabbage forming the base. The kimchee at Stemley Stir Fry is served dressed with a spicy and fragrant chili pepper based sauce that adds a reddish sheen to the vegetables. The flavor of kimchee is almost impossible to describe and, frankly, isn’t an entry-level dish to the uninitiated. On the other hand, culinary risk-takers and those familiar to the real flavors of the Orient should enjoy the kimchee.

Touted on the menu as “one of the world’s top five healthiest foods,” kimchee contains a high concentration of dietary fiber, provides 80 percent of the daily recommended amounts of carotene and ascorbic acid, and is a great source of vitamins A, B2, calcium and iron. While kimchee is very healthy and low in calories, one of word of caution should be heeded. If you’re going to get kissing-close to a special loved one any time soon after eating a bowlful, breath mints will be required.

While it may look like something you may see people eating on “Survivor”, you owe it to yourself to give kimchee a try. The next time one of your snooty friends tells you about the kimchee they had at that hip, Korean restaurant in Atlanta, you can respond with ‘I had some great kimchee recently, too. And you’ll never guess where!’”

Stemley Stir Fry Open: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.

Location: 4800 Stemley Road, Talladega AL. 35061 Phone: (256) 268-9008 Loyd McIntosh is a freelance writer and a former reporter for The Daily Home in Talladega. He has written for Birmingham Magazine, Portico, Thicket, Executive Traveler, and Mental Floss. He lives in Pell City with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters, Emily Grace and Lily.