This week’s Meet a Mom is Ji Yoon Kim, owner of Blue + Berries in Fairfield! We met Ji when she first opened up her family-owned seafood market & pastry café and have been so lucky to have her and her family at a few of our local town events (including our Annual Easter Egg Hunt and Taste of Fairfield this past fall)! Blue + Berries was started after the pandemic as a way for Ji and her husband Jonathan to start a business of their own and raise their three beautiful daughters. From wedding cakes to grilled seafood, they truly have it all and it is DELICIOUS!! Read more below and be sure to check out their cafe located at 2205 Black Rock Turnpike and follow them along on Instagram @blue_andberries!
Where are you originally from and how long have you been in Fairfield?
I am from New York City and I’ve been in this town for 8 years.
Tell us about your Family!
We are the Yoon’s family and my husband Jonathan is the Chef at Blue+Berries. We have three girls, Elle(8), Gigi(6), and Arie(3).
One thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I majored in Piano Performance and Social Work because I was going to be a music therapist.
One thing you wish someone would have told you about motherhood?
The laundry of three kids is the real neverending story.
What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in Fairfield?
Help from other Fairfield moms!
Best mom hack that makes your life easier?
A shoe-free house!
Tell us about your business Blue and Berries, and when & why you decided to start up this business?
I always wanted to open an event planning and catering business and during the pandemic when Jonathan was laid off from his catering company, we decided to open our business where we can keep our job and raise our three girls together. Blue and Berries is a seafood market called ‘Blue’ and a pastry cafe, ‘Berries’.
Where are you located and what type of food do you offer?
We are located at 2205 Black Rock Turnpike across from Trader Joe’s. We are a Korean family-owned market and offer fresh fish, live lobsters and oysters, and cooked seafood including fish & chips and lobster rolls from the ‘Blue’ side. My father has been working as a fish cutter for over 25 years and his passion is to serve the community with the freshest fish at a reasonable price. Jonathan’s baked goods, custom cakes, and pastries are placed at our pastry cafe, ‘Berries’ where we recently added bubble teas. Undoubtedly, my mother’s homemade Korean daily specials including Jap Chae and Kimbap are sold out everyday.
Best advice for moms who experience the inevitable MOM GUILT handling a career and raising a family?
Kids see and feel everything that is going on in the family. They will know and be grateful to have a working mom LIKE YOU who has shown that it is okay to be lazy sometimes but always get back on track, it is okay to fall but never give up, and it is okay to cry for true happiness.
Who has most influenced you to be the mom that you are today?
My husband, Jonathan, has always been supportive and willing to listen.
What advice would you share with a new mom or other moms?
Think positive and do not be angry because we tend to get angry easily with people whom we really love and care for.
We love supporting local businesses – favorite places in Fairfield to…
Have Dinner with Family: Latina Cantina for Sunday brunch!
Grab a Drink with Friends: Little Pub
Have a Date Night: Tequila Revolucion
Spend time together as a Family: My family loves to grab ice cream at Dairy Queen after playtime at Penfield Beach.
Outside Activities: Bike riding on Jennings Road
Grab coffee: Cafe Piccolo’s Espresso
