A breakup brought Ryan Phillips to Seoul. He built a farm there

Phillips, whose father was born in Korea and adopted by a US family at age 3, grew up in Texas. He earned a degree in international economics and finance from Austin College in 2000, worked in accounting and spent about two years cooking American barbecue before returning to accounting. His first job in Korea was teaching cooking classes to children at a preschool. He later taught in a culinary program at a career-training college and, in 2015, earned a master’s in hospitality at Le Cordon Bleu in Seoul.

His first attempt at farming was a struggle. Phillips and four others set out to grow organically, without herbicides, pesticides or chemical fertilizers, learning mostly from YouTube. It took three years to see results. Local farmers who stopped by offered advice in Korean, including the phrase “Single stalk!” The expression became the name of Phillips’ hot sauce, Han-joolgi, now sold at three restaurants around Seoul.

Phillips now rents a plot in Hwaseong, on Seoul’s southwestern outskirts, where Bearfoot Gardens grows 30 varieties of chilies, along with herbs and corn. He hosts farm-to-table events for groups ranging from dozens to hundreds, charging 50,000 to 150,000 Korean won ($37 to $113) per person. The menus include American barbecue, Mexican and Korean food. He also caters privately, cooks with help from temporary workers and volunteers, and smokes meat and bottles hot sauce in a separate kitchen. After seven difficult years, he said, the farm is doing well.

It took Phillips 10 years to feel at home in Korea, in part because of the language barrier and unfamiliar social cues. He wishes his Korean were better but says it serves him well at work. He remains single and busy, and visits Texas each year to see family and friends. Seeing more people there make kimchi or try Korean dishes has been “a pretty beautiful way to relate,” he said. Beyond those ties, Phillips said, he has “zero reasons to leave Korea.”