An Alexandria-based food tour company is celebrating two years of teaching people about the local Korean culinary scene.
Alexandria resident Soomin “Mina” Kim spends her weekdays immersed in the world of law as a paralegal in Old Town. But her weekends are reserved for Annandale in Fairfax County, where she guides culinary Koreatown adventures for her small business, Virginialicious.
Every weekend, Kim directs groups and private tours through the area while discussing local history and Korean culture, including the latest K-drama shows and K-pop. Her tours typically stop at five or six Annandale restaurants, sampling a couple dishes at each spot.
“I think we actually really offer something truly unique to this area,” Kim said. “It’s not really well-known that the DMV area has the third largest Korean population in the United States … My big dream is, one of these days, people visit the Washington, D.C. area [and] Koreatown is one of the ‘things to do.'”
Kim, who was raised in Busan, South Korea, before moving to the United States in 2012, said the idea for Virginialicious was inspired by her experiences eating with loved ones in Northern Virginia. Annandale, which grew through immigration to become a D.C.-area hub of Korean-owned businesses beginning in the 1970s and 1980s, is her go-to spot — a place she says invokes nostalgia for her home country.
“My local friends here and family here, they are all like, ‘We’re going out for Korean food. Would you like to come with us?’ meaning, ‘Do you want to order everything and explain everything to us?” Kim said. “I actually found myself really, really enjoying that experience.”
Virginialicious became a reality with assistance from the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership in 2024, after Kim’s spouse registered the business for her as a Christmas present.
In addition to sharing her culture, Kim aspires to foster connections to the area’s Korean-owned local businesses, many of which she saw struggle through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Afterward, she wanted to find a way to rally support for the eateries, which she says can be difficult to discover.
“Some of these restaurants are actually hidden — like, one restaurant is in a basement, so they are truly hidden gems,” Kim said. “And I think people are just mesmerized, like, they think everybody drives by Annandale, but nobody walks in Annandale.”
An avid traveler, Kim and her husband enjoy taking food tours whenever they travel abroad. Her Virginialicious tours are a different experience, she said, because participants tend to live in the region.
“When the tour ends, I think that’s when things actually start,” Kim said, describing how participants bring newfound curiosity to the cuisine, seeking to learn recipes, try new restaurants and return to the tour spots, again and again.
She said it is not uncommon to bump into former tour customers while leading new excursions.
“I wanted to become a bridge between the Korean restaurants and businesses in Annandale, in Fairfax County, and non-Korean audience in this area,” Kim said. “That’s been working out beautifully.”
Through Virginialicious, Kim is able to give back in more ways than one, donating some proceeds to a local food bank and participating in Meals on Wheels.
“I just personally believe that we should be giving back to the society where we live in and work … so that is my driving force,” Kim said.
This year, Kim is continuing to strike a balance between her day job and Virginialicious and is considering eventually expanding tours to Centreville
Virginialicious tours accommodate up to 12 guests and last about three hours. Admission is $89 per person.
