A Taste of Home

Photo Essay by Yehyun Kim | CT Mirror

Some would simply call Appletree – a grocery store in the shadow of Walmart on New Park Avenue in Hartford – a world market offering food from many countries and cultures. But for the customers of the store, many of whom are immigrants, Appletree offers the flavors of home.

Colorful flags and decorations hang from the ceiling, and pictures of sun-kissed carrots and rainbow peppers greet customers at the door. Flyers in a variety of languages – from English to Japanese to Nepali – cover the windows. The staff and customers speak in still other languages, like Spanish and Russian. The aisles brim with Korean ramen and kimchi, as well as Jamaican yellow yam, uncut sugar cane and Dominican eggplants.

Hamer Alfares, of New Britain, right, took his wife Asmaa Jneid to Appletree, where he always comes to purchase vegetables to make Arabic food. "Only here," Alfares said.

Sadé, 6, waits for her mom Danielle, of Newington, who declined to give her last name, to choose things to buy. They recently moved from Staten Island and visited the market for the first time to find spices for African cuisine. "This store does remind me of a lot of stores in New York City," Danielle said. "It's great to have a place like this."

"Just looking?" Youngduk Kwak, a worker at the fish section, asked a customer nearby. "No charge." He chuckled.

Appletree is the passion of Moonshik Kang, who knows well the power of food. Cuisine helps many who settle in America hold onto home; food becomes a conduit to the homeland, a source of great comfort. Kang immigrated to the United States from South Korea 40 years ago. Yet he, and his U.S.-born children, still eat Korean dishes on a regular basis.

“People don’t easily give up on what they ate growing up,” he said.

Spanish is the first language of Marisol Ortiz, originally from Guatemala. His coworkers' first languages are often Nepali and Korean, but the team mostly communicates in Spanish.

Youngduk Kwak, originally from Korea, jokes around with his coworker Marisol Ortiz.

After quitting a white-collar job in Korea, Kang started from scratch in a new land. In his first three years in the United States, he worked at a grocery store for immigrants in New York. While working 16 hours a day, Kang became an expert in the eating habits of different immigrant communities. He reached the point of knowing what ingredients a Jamaican would look for to go with dry fish.

“I got the idea that if I bring the specific items to the market, these people wouldn’t go to other markets but only come to my market,” Kang said.

When he bought Appletree from the founder in 2002, he focused on serving a selection of West Indies products. About a decade later, he started to spot more people from East Asia in the neighborhood, leading him to add Asian products and expand the market. In the last 20 years, the Asian-only population in Connecticut has increased more than 109%, according to Census data. In 2020, Hartford County was the second-most diverse county in Connecticut, closely following Fairfield County.

Myungsik Kim, the store manager, checks the delivered products. His first language is Korean, but he picked up Spanish while working on a cruise and in supermarkets with coworkers who speak only Spanish.

Watermelon, a cookie that a customer from Guyana ate growing up, Indian eggplants and uncut sugarcanes are among the products that are available at Appletree.

Appletree has also become a place to stay in touch with old friends. Purushottam Sharma Dhakal has worked at the store for 20 years, ever since immigrating from Nepal. While waiting for customers to check out, he watches a European soccer game on his cellphone, taped below the counter. When Romino Frett, a regular costumer for 10 years, comes in, Dhakal invites him to watch the game with him. They fist-bump before Frett leaves.

Paul Kim, a retired Korean immigrant in West Hartford, is neither a customer nor an employee, but he often visits the market with cleaning gear in his hands. He volunteers to clean every corner of the market simply so he can chit-chat with other Koreans and feel connected to his home country.

Myungsik Kim, center, makes jokes with coworker Saju Rayamajhi.

One night earlier this month, near closing time, a father and a son entered Appletree holding a piece of mail. On the back of the envelope was written a list of ingredients to make Argentinian empanadas.

Marcelo Daudh and his son, Naseem Daudh, have been to the store enough that they know where to go and how to get everything they need in a short time. Naseem places items on the counter, and Marcelo bags the groceries. Shopping for and eating this meal is a daily ritual that brings them joy.

“We try not to lose the spark or where we come from, trying to be alive,” Naseem said. “It certainly gives spark for your life.”

Appreciate

Credits:

Yehyun Kim