Welcome to Mr Oigi Food Compnay.
Mr Oigi’s sauces are an original-taste chili sauce made from family old fermented chili recipe combined with the multicultural taste of Australia.
Back when my family first came to Australia, we couldn’t afford to go out to eat. But, I guess that was the same situation for most migrants who came to Australia during the 1970s. The most beautiful thing about not being able to afford to go to restaurants was that instead of going out, we would visit friends homes from other cultures and try their 'home cooked' meal. Every time we visited friends and neighbors, we would always take a dish of mom’s Korean cooking to exchange with friend’s family cooking and as a young kid who loved food, every bite of family friend’s cooking was an adventure of discovery. I hope you will feel the same when you taste my sauces. Mr Oigi sauces are made from many varieties of spices that shaped my childhood and I hope when you try my sauces, it too will take you back to the place where you discovered your first experience of sharing food and love. Thank you so much for considering Mr Oigi Food Company.
The beginning...
OK! Here’s how it happened!
Grandmother Hwang, master pickle maker of her village, passes down her master pickling and traditional fermented Korean sauce making teachings to mom, Jeong-Ja (Jenny) An. Traditionally, all cooking teachings are handed down from mother to daughter but no daughter, only two boys; so, mom breaks the old Korean taboo that if men enters the kitchen, he will lose his manhood and teaches George (my brother) and I the family fermenting and pickling secrets. Fast forward to 2016, uses the age old family pickling and fermenting secrets to create one of the most unique chili sauces.
Mr OiGi's culinary timeline
1976. Family migrates to Sydney Australia and is blown away by the richness and diversity of culture and food in Australia.
1977. Attends Redfern Public School and shares lunches with other kids and falls in love with Mrs Haney (my ESL teacher), Hot chips, Potato scollops, Battered Sav, Chico Roll, and Meat pie (Sausage Roll took a little longer); oh and Paddle Pops!!
1978. Began working at the Markets helping out mom and dad every weekends (Paddy’s and Showground market) and discovers the “5 a.m. Bacon and Egg toast with BBQ sauce” (are you kidding me? Did someone get the number plate of that truck, good!!).
1979. Vietnamese family moves in next door. Mom and Mrs Nguyen starts exchanging recipes and sauce making. First time we discover Vietnamese Fish Sauce and Birds eye chili (…still having nightmares of the ‘day-after’ after eating Bird’s eye chili for the first time… anyone got ice?)
1980. Enters Cleveland Street Boy’s High (and survived!) and tries Greek food for the first time at Year 7 & 8 best friend Michael Naxakis (the best Bouzouki player ever) house and is blown away by the flavours of Greek food. First time I discovered Coco Pops!
1982. Year 9, transfers to St Mary’s CBHS with friend Fouad Bustani ("Freddy" back in those days...sorry Fouad). Fouad’s parents had a Lebanese takeaway on King Street Newtown. “Double blown away” by the spices and the flavours. The smell of Fouad’s mom and dad’s Lebanese takeaway shop tattooed into my taste buds and my heart. Same year, I discover Italian food from Alex Cadorby’s Pizzeria right next to Fouad’s takeaway shop. Loved it so much, I drew them a poster in exchange for a free pizza. The pizzeria is not there anymore (my poster framed at the restaurant remained until the last day of opening), but the basil and the tomato has remained in my taste palette forever.
1983. Tries the best Greek BBQ ever at school friend Alex Boufea’s house. Very surprised to find Alex’s dad to be an incredible cook thus happy to discover the old Korea taboo about men in kitchen was just a fallacy (whew!). Loved Greek food so much, later in life, I agreed to be Alex’s best man (so I can get invited to the Greek Wedding and eat and eat and eat…that scene from the movie ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ people… it’s real!!!).
1984. Senior high finally!! Celso (amigo) introduces me to Spanish and Latin American food and completely changes my opinion on the use of Tomato, fresh herbs and spices. I've known you since junior high and you wait till senior high to introduce me to Latin American food?? I hate your guts Celso!! (..but I love you bro!) (Also discovers Bob Marley!)
1984. Tries Dona Kebab for the first time…need I say more?
1986. Enters University of NSW and tries Indian food for the first time (hello!!! Now you can shoot me! good!).
1987. Meets "sister Nui" who worked at the Flemington market stand next to where I used to work part time while studying. Her sister ran a Thai restaurant called Pailin on Parramatta Rd. Stanmore. First time I tried Thai food. The sauce! The sauce!! Wow! ...so little time, so little time! (Sister Nui went back to Thailand in 1991 to be the Managing Director of a shipping company).
1988. Discovers Tequila, salt, and lime. Everything is a blur after that sh*t!!!
2016 (February). Fast forward to 2016, celebrates 49 years of pickling and fermenting and birth of the Mr Oigi sauces after a friend (Brennan McLoughlin) accidentally tries the sauce and threatens to kill me if I don't bottle the sauce.
2016 (July). Takes out a huge credit card loan (Yikes!..by the way, the Bank said Yikes when I asked for the loan. Hehe) and starts bottling the sauce! Opens on-line web store.
2016 (October). Starts selling at local Delicatessens and specialty shops. Go to SHOP --> for full list of shops carrying Mr OiGi Sauce.
